Hello, all!
Oh, it's been a while since I was on the forum, but am happy to be back!
So, I wanted to throw out to everyone, what are your expected coneflower purchases for 2013? Are you planning to try some of the newer varieties or are you sticking with the tried and true?
Me, I have to try the new ones. It's an addiction, I think. I am planning for Echinacea Hot Summer (thanks to maniac's recommendations), Secret Glow, Cheyenne Spirit, Leilani, Secret Joy, Marmalade and Hot Papaya. Hot Papaya does well for me, so want a few more of those. Staying with the tried and true with Ruds and getting some new TigerEye. Can Spring get here already? (or technically Summer, I guess with cones!)
How about you?
2013 Coneflower Purchases
I have not decided yet , there are a couple like Hot Summer and the Pow Wow wild berry I just started. I still want to grow and see for myself ..
I have some small Milkshake I am anxious to see this year ..
Based on input from the forum, I ordered Flame Thrower. My daughter who is a novice gardener was asked about coneflowers. Her advice to the person was " Some of the new ones are not as reliable." Straight out of the forum's input!
oh, they definitely aren't as reliable, but some of us coneflower nuts enjoy trialing them to find out which ones are worthy and which aren't. sometimes you find the real gems that way. sometimes you don't, but that's the beauty of gardening when you stumble on something amazing!
I wish I could grow cone flowers like I used to. I put them on the "high side" of the flowerbed so they won't get too much water and if they live they don't grow. Last year I tried to grow some from seed but they didn't make it. I'm planning to try again this year. Any suggestions? I guess I should be somewhat happy - ONE red hot poker I planted from seed is still alive - about 6 inches tall. It gets to be planted this year.
I would do a soil test and that will better tell you what the problem could be.
Picked up a new coneflower locally today that I've not seen yet. It's called Sombrero Sandy Yellow. Needed a few more yellows in the mix, so was happy to see a new one. When I looked it up, it said these are a new line of cones that are supposed to be well, better, with more bloom count, longer blooming, etc. We shall see!
I know this is not technically coneflower season, yet, but come on guys, show some life over here! Bought any cones this year yet? Any impulse buys? How about cones you are dreaming of? Let's hear it!
I just ordered E Vanilla Cupcake liners from a co-op. I think they are a new introduction from Terra Nova. In general, are their echies usually robust, or do they have a lot of the 'iffy' types? Either way, they are ordered and paid for, so I guess I'll find that out for myself! :-)
Howdy! I am new on this forum, but am trying 2 coneflowers this year. I got The well loved Pow wow Wild berry and White Swan last year on sale ( about $3 for both) and overwintered them in my raised bed still in their pots. I was sure they were dead, but they have come back nicely. I just have to decide where to put them.
I mixed up the identical pots and cannot tell them apart. One has some red in the stems and leaves, could this be PowWow? The other is all green leaves and stems. Anybody know?
My E White Swan is barely showing, but what I see is all green. I would say it's a good guess...
Pam
yay! Thanks for checking, I am going to plant them today. One other thing, Is it true that they do not like to be moved? I am pretty sure about where I want them, the white near some lavender , but thw powow i am still deciding.
Bought three Pow Wow Wild Berry to see how they turn out. I've only ever grown the purple Echi's and have some seed for White Swan from my mother that I want to try but haven't started any of those yet.
Mike
I've schlepped mine all over the place and they keep coming back. Last year E White Swan broke while I was trying to divide it. I stuck the broken bits in potting mix and they all rooted within a few weeks.
Even the E Green Envy I yanked last fall because I hated it (from a co-op, it was supposed to be the solid Green Jewel), left it out of the ground for a week (oops, forgot it) then planted purely out of guilt-- it's back. Funny thing is, I have a good place for it now, so it will move again very soon.
I do religiously use a root stimulator on everything... Latest garden favorite is Rootblast, also like Biotone, and Superthrive indoors for starting seeds and potting up.
Well, i guess they are pretty hardy, or hearty...i saw a photo here on DG of white coneflowers near a stand of cardinal flowers, i think I will copy this, as my cardinalflowers are finally coming up and looking healthy, last year they were tiny leafy clumps. I mainly garden for butterflies and hummers,birds...well wildlife in general. I have never used anything besides MiracleGro, and some homemade manure/compost tea. I may try some of the products you mention, as I think all my plants could use a shot in the arm..well stem as it were. Ha.
Outdoors I only use those products when planting. Otherwise I broadcast Plantone spring and fall (that's the plan, but I rarely get to it more than once a year), and mulch. I'm lucky to have pretty good soil to begin with so don't have to do huge amounts of amending except for newly cleared areas and for heavy feeders.
Here's what I purchased last fall.
Items Ordered:
• 2 of : Astilbe Deutschland
• 3 of : Digitalis purpurea Foxy
• 3 of : Echinacea Hot Summer
• 3 of : Echinacea Irresistible
• 3 of : Echinacea Jupiter
• 3 of : Echinacea Milkshake
• 3 of : Echinacea Solar Flare
• 6 of : Echinacea Southern Belle
;) Sherry
May not be summer yet but the wild coneflowers are blooming right now they always bloom before the domestic varieties and always just before or right at Memorial Day Border Patrol I was never very successful with the cones until I put them in containers they do not like wet feet and if left just in the garden over the winter the Gophers and Voles tend to violate them
I am having trouble growing the White Swan Coneflower, I planted several last fall and so far they have not returned. The Red Cone flower has returned and is doing good, the standard Purple Cone flowers are already blooming as shown in the pictures. I don't think any of the Purple ones have ever died from being moved, and I have moved seedlings and plants that were very tall, even blooming like crazy and they all lived.
Seedfork , Very nice, just beautiful.
Update on my order this year. I have added a few here and there, I usually use echinaceas to fill up an order and get the most bang for the buck on shipping, so 2 or 3 have wandered into my cart with each order. Here's my whole list for the year:
Cheyenne Spirit
Secret Joy
Leilani
Hot Papaya
Marmalade
Double Scoop Raspberry
Double Scoop Orangeberry
Raspberry Truffle
Secret Lust
Solar Flare
Salsa Red
Sombrero Sandy Yellow
Secret Pride
Secret Desire
Colorburst Orange
Sombrero Hot Coral
Secret Glow
I'm making a new raised echinacea bed, so that is the reason for all the new echs! I'm excited to trial them, we shall see.
this is my second year with the Magnus and I wrote on one thread that I could see no difference between it and my regular purples BUT this year there is a big change in it the blooms are just huge over half again bigger than any of my other echies will get a picture later today
Well, my echinacea raised bed is STILL not planted yet. I won't get into that, I might get crazy, but several are blooming, so I thought I would share, if no one minds looking at my temporary containers around the blooms.
1 - Leilani, completely in love with this flower. Does not fade at all. Blooms are long-lived.
2 - Sombrero Salsa Red - very vigorous bloomer so far!
3 - Solar Flare
4 - Hot Papaya
5 - Double Scoop Orangeberry
no one is going to say a word about your unplanted bed cause we'll all be talking about Leilani!!! wow.
funnthsun- what a lovely group! Leilani IS beautiful. The combo of the yellow with green emerging cone is quite nice.
My own ech's are blooming, and powwow wild berry is just perfect and the white swan as well. It turns out my guess about color of the flower based on the leaf stem color was correct. Pow has a reddish tint on each stem of it's leaves. White swan does not. Thanks to those who gave a look at their own to help me with my mix up. I must admit I was never too crazy about echs until I saw some really pretty combinations in mature clumps in Butterfly gardens. Now I am becoming a real covet-er of echinaceas!
Well, since Leilani seems to be the favorite of everyone, including myself, I'll post a few more pics of her. She really is gorgeous!
Coconut lime is the first to bloom in my garden. White Swan and Green Jewel are next...
Oops, pic!
