Total bush shot showing several blooms. The largest bloom (near the middle) is over two weeks old...note that it has faded very little, if any.
Echinacea 'Now Cheesier'
very nice!
Great looking plant, how old is it?
Thanks for your comments!
This is a first year plant.
Bob
On another thread someone said they get week and die after they bloom, maybe It just depends on where you buy them. Some nurseries use growth hormone and after they stop receiving it they go down hill and sometimes die. I had that problem with a rose bush I bought from a local nursery and I don't shop there anymore.
Your coneflower has multiple blooms and that's unusual for a first year. Maybe you actually got a second year plant , where did you buy it? It's stunning, absolutely beautiful!! I will be watching your thread to see how it does. If you have continued success with this plant I will probably buy five of them !! :)
virginiarose, I ordered from PLANT DELIGHTS.
http://www.plantdelights.com/searchprods.asp
Bob
OK, Thanks Bob !
so bob... are all the blooms branching off of a single stalk? or are the multiple stalks coming from the ground?
Single Stalk.
Ahh.. I would dead head it as soon as you can to see if you can get some additional base growth before the end of the season. That single stalk issue happens on the yellow hybrids (macncheese, aloha, etc). They usually don't make it through the winter. It stinks cause the flowers on these are amazing!
Nevermore44, I have heard that on another thread about these dyeing after they bloom. Do you think it is because of the single stalk thing? If we can get multiple stalks going then it will have a much better chance of making it through the winter. I have Big Sky Sundown and Maui Sunshine and they are single stalk. I am going to dead head them so they can get stronger!!
This is a very weak plant. None of the yellow plants from Terra Nova are any good. I even tried Configure on them and that didn't work. I would recommend people avoid these plants.
I am very confused by the mixed reviews when I look up a plant in the 'Plantfiles'. One thing that caught my eye when I was reading about 'Phoenix', which is one of the coneflower I have on order, A low PH in the soil is fatal ! Well if PH is that important then I think I might get my soil tested before I buy any more. Then maybe I can adjust it or change it if I decide a plant is worth it or not. Or just buy plants that like my PH. A lot of things contribute to the acidity of your soil, including Pine trees and pine needles, they can lower the PH!
Adjusting The pH
When the pH is less than 7.0, you will need to raise it. The soil pH can be raised by adding lime to the soil. When the pH is more than 7.0, you will need to lower it. The soil pH can be lowered by adding sulfur (gypsum, cottonseed meal) to the soil. Regardless of what you are adding to the soil, use a lawn spreader to apply the material evenly. If you have to adjust by more than a full number, do it over a couple of applications. The exception to this is if you have a new lawn, you can till the proper amount of material into the soil before seeding or sodding. Note that lime takes time to act, so don't expect results for the a few months.
Read more: How to change the pH of your soil | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2203203_change-ph-soil.html#ixzz1TOkYVZhn