New echinacea Hot Lava co-op

I am not sure how many of you like echinacea but there is a co-op running now for a new variety. We were told to tell our friends but I am not sure how many more will be available so hurry!!! here is the link
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/999867/

Thanks, wisdom. I'm getting really leery of these expensive new coneflowers after reading about the problems with them in the echinacea forum. That red sure is pretty, though.

I have heard mac n cheese isn't doing too well and tomato soup gets mixed reviews.

Apparently some people have having problems with a lot of the new ones, not just those. I just hate to pay that much money for a plant only to see it die or struggle for years without ever doing well. I'll let you brave folks find out first if they do okay. LOL

Who knows if they do well I may just be able to give you some seeds or some of the plant. I saw one of the plants yesterday "Summer sky" which looked really good but I am waiting for some seeds from someone on DG. I don't know what he is sending so it is going to be like Christmas!!!

Wisdom, those plants won't come true from seeds. They're hybrids.

Are you talking about the hot lava or the seeds I am getting from the DG member? If they are hybrids the seed should be sterile, is that correct? I would have to split the plant if I were to give a piece to someone, right?

The seeds. They won't be sterile, they'll revert back to whatever they were bred from, most likely plain old purple coneflowers or the yellow pallidas.

It certainly won't hurt to plant them. You might come up with something really pretty, just don't be upset if you get a batch of plain purple coneflowers.

The coop plants are plugs, so aren't very likely to be big enough to split. You'll have to baby them in pots for a while.

This message was edited Jun 9, 2009 9:43 PM

thanks for the info. I may start the seeds in pots first to see how well they grow. I planted white swan and magnus in pots and they are doing well but it took them about twenty days to come up. I don't know too much about seeds or even collecting them because I usually buy the plant. This is the first year I started anything besides zinnias from seed. Veggies mostly which have been struggling but seem to be making a come back now.

White Swan and Magnus will come true from seeds unless they were grown where they could cross pollinate with other coneflowers. If they're seeds you bought, they'll be true.

I got a really pretty very pale pink one from seeds from one of my White Swan plants that apparently crossed with another coneflower in my garden.

I bought them in package from a nursery. They were in the pack together and I planted them together so does this mean I am going to get three different echinaceas?

No, they'll be what you planted. They have to grow, bloom, pollinate each other and then you collect seeds from the plants and grow them to have them cross and have something that might be a mixture of the two.

I obviously have alot too learn about seeds. From what I was told the seeds I planted will probably not bloom this year. I was told the plant grows the first year and blooms the second. I guess if I am going to cross pollinate anything it won't happen for a couple of years. I think it could be a pretty combination.

Most perennials don't bloom the first year. Most annuals do, if you want a little more instant satisfaction. I say most annuals because some of the things we grow as annuals are actually tender perennials.

This message was edited Jun 9, 2009 11:37 PM

I have had a couple of annual salvias, lantana and verbena have returned. You have a wealth of knowledge about all of this. I guess that is why your gardens look so awesome.
I am pretty patient so it doesn't bother me not to get blooms this year. I have also noticed it can take a couple of years to get really decent blooms on some perennials.