Echinacea is a well-known and popular flower among gardeners everywhere. It’s hardy and easy to grow; attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden, while providing medicinal health benefits to you as well. In this guide, you will learn everything you need on how to grow echinacea at home, from seed planting stage to caring for the plant all year round.
What is Echinacea and Why You Ought to Grow It
Echinacea is a perennial flowering plant, which simply means the plant doesn’t die off during winter, but comes back year after year. They are also known as coneflowers, from their prominent cone-shaped centers.
Although echinacea comes in many colors, the most common is purple. These flowers are not only known for their simple beauty, but they are used a lot in herbal medicine and teas. Meanwhile, gardeners love them for being drought tolerant plus hardy, growing well under many differing climate conditions. It reaches heights of 2 to 4 feet when mature, making an excellent choice for garden borders, flower beds, and meadow gardens.
So as to why you should be growing echinacea, well it is:
- Easy to grow
- Pollinator friendly
- Long lasting flowers that last from early summer to fall
- Drought tolerant
- Many medicinal benefits
Choosing the Right Spot to Grow Echinacea
Below are some of the factors to consider when you’re deciding on the right spot to grow these plants.
Sunlight
Echinacea is a sunlight loving plant. So choose a spot that gets 6 hours or more of sunlight each day. If echinacea doesn’t get enough light, it will not bloom as well as it should.
Soil
Echinacea grows best in well-drained soil that is not too rich, and slightly acidic to neutral in pH. If your soil is clayey with poor drainage, mix in some compost and sand to improve drainage.
Space
When planting echinacea, make sure to leave some space between each plant. A spacing of 12-18 inches between each plant should suffice.
How to Grow Echinacea from Seeds
Starting echinacea from seeds is a great way to begin. Although the process takes up a bit of time, but it’s worth it. Bearing in mind that echinacea seeds need a cool period to sprout, you have two main planting windows:
- Spring planting: Plant seeds outdoors after the last frost.
- Fall planting: Plant seeds in late fall and aim for them to sprout in spring next year.
How to plant those seeds? Follow these tips and the seeds should sprout in 10-20 days:
- Prepare the planting area. Loosen up the soil as well as remove weeds.
- Sow the seeds. Scatter them onto the soil surface and gently apply a bit of pressure to them to embed them into the soil.
- Don’t bury the seeds too deeply; they need sunlight to help them sprout.
- Water conservatively, keeping the soil slightly moist until germination.
Growing Echinacea from Starter Plants
You can purchase young echinacea plants from a nursery and skip the seed growing stage. These are already established seedlings and can be planted outdoors once all danger of frost has passed.
Below are the steps to plant echinacea from starter plants:
- Dig a hole in the soil a bit larger than the root ball.
- Place the plant into the hole so that the top of the root ball is even with the surface ground level.
- Fill up the hole with soil and gently press down on it to remove any air pockets.
- Water the plant after planting.
Watering Echinacea
During the first few weeks, water regularly to keep the soil moist and the roots growing. After establishment, water only when the first inch of topsoil gets dry. Keep in mind, excessive moisture can lead to root rot and weakened plants. However once established, echinacea becomes quite drought tolerant.
Feeding and Fertilization
Echinacea does not need to be fed all the time. Excessive fertilization makes the plant tall and weak. If your soil is poor, add a light layer of compost in spring. Most garden soil is already adequate for echinacea. Avoid fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, as they promote leaf growth instead of flowers.
Mulching and Weed Control
Mulch helps in limiting weed growth and keeping the soil moist. The ideal mulch is as simple as a light layer of straw, wood chips, or shredded bark. Be sure not to mulch too closely to the stems, keeping them at least a couple of inches away – to prevent rot. The mulch will help your echinacea to thrive by keeping weeds away that compete for nutrients and moisture.
Pruning and Deadhunting
Pruning and deadheading are part of the regular maintenance tasks for echinacea plants. Deadheading means removing dead and faded blooms. When a bloom dies, simply snip them off. This sends a message to the plant to make new blooms instead of seeds.
Deadheading can be stopped late in the season to let seedheads form. These seedheads are eaten by birds and stand out in winter as structural points of interest for the garden.
After the first frosts arrive in fall, cut back the stems leaving a few inches above ground to start preparing the plants for winter dormancy.
Pests and Diseases
Although hardy, echinacea can suffer from some issues occasionally. Common issues like powdery mildew, and aphids, can plague echinacea on occasion. Powdery mildew leaves a white powdery film on leaves, and happens more often in humid conditions. Good airflow and adequate spacing can help in preventing it.
Aphids and spider mites may also show up, but they can be dealt with easily by simply washing plants with water. Good hygiene and proper spacing lowers the risk of pests and diseases.
Winter Care
Echinacea is a perennial plant, which means it comes back year after year. So you don’t have to worry about it in winter. In fall, mulch lightly around the base to keep the roots from extremely cold conditions. Once spring comes, new shoots will sprout again as the soil warms.
How to Grow Echinacea in Containers
You aren’t required to grow echinacea outdoors in your garden soil, since it grows well in containers too. Pick a container with good drainage holes, and use a well-draining potting mix to fill it up.
Plant your seeds into the potting mix or use starter seedlings. Water well afterwards, and then place the container in a sunny spot. Just be aware that plants grown in containers may need watering more often than plants grown in the outdoor garden, especially during hot weather.
Attracting Pollinators
Echinacea easily attracts pollinators to visit your garden, and this is one of its best benefits. Bees love the nectar, butterflies make a beeline for echinacea blooms all the time, and birds come to feed on its seeds in the fall. You can also expand this pollination effect to other blooming flowers from other plants, by planting echinacea in close proximity with them.
Harvesting Echinacea Flowers
Echinacea produces pretty flowers that fit so well into bouquets. The best time to cut them is in the morning, after the morning dew has evaporated. Pick stems whose blooms are open but still fresh. To keep your bouquets fresh for longer, change the water and trim the cut stems.
Troubleshooting
- Lack of blooming: Is your plant getting enough sun? Try giving it full sunlight. It may also be caused by over fertilization, particularly of nitrogen. So cut back if you’re over-feeding.
- Wilting leaves: Check the soil, this may be due to too little or too much water. If the soil stays soggy, improve drainage.
- Leggy growth: This is caused by either too much of shade or too little airflow. Prune the stems and provide more light to remedy the issue.
Bottomline
It is clear echinacea is a great flower for almost all gardens. It brings color and life to your backyard while still being easy to grow and look after. Growing echinacea in your garden can be a rewarding and satisfying experience, and you can make herbal tinctures from all parts of the plant. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started growing echinacea today!
