I've gotten some echinacea seeds of the "newer" varieties as a mixed bag: sparkle, razzmatazz, sunset, sunrise and meadowbright. Since it was a mixed package so I'm not sure what I will get, if anything. Many of the seeds were different shapes, some thinner some longer, I have no idea what was what.
I wonder if anyone has had any experience raising these from seed. I realize most will not resemble their parent, what should I expect for them 50% or less? Will the seedlings of these varieties exibit different characteristics than the regular Magnus echinacea (ie smaller leaf blades, vareigation early on)? Anyway to cheat and know what I have before they bloom next year?
Seeds from new echies, any experience, what to expect?
Hi E,
I addressed that issue a while back here
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/560750/
My guess is that the Big Sky series have a good chance, Razz and Meadowbrite I doubt quite a bit. Sparkler I am getting this year. Germination wise I might expect it's a guess - some are clones.
Ruby Giant - you gotta get it
Thanks bigcityal, so hard to find concrete info on the new echies from seed. I'm excited to see what I will get--Razz is the one I had my heart set on so I hope I get a few true to seed. I'm also growing bravado, indiaca and pallida from seed this spring. I hope to have a large variety of echies by the end of the summer!
Have you seen Fancy Frills? So pretty, I might have to just buy that one! Uh oh, I feel an obsession coming on!
Got it, got it , got it
Bravado and Pallida should be very true. Indacia is a strong maybe.
I got Fancy Frills late in the year along with Harvest Moon, Henry Eilers, Sundown and Fragrant Angel. Twilight is coming, I will pick up Fatal Attraction also uh oh I think I'm already there.
Jade
EandEsmom- I hope you don't mind me asking but where did you get the seeds? The mixed package sounds very interesting!!
becca,
I have these letover yet if you are interested send me dmail.
http://davesgarden.com/journal/d/t/bigcityal/2326/
Beccalynns, I found most of my seeds on ebay this year. I usually trade for seeds but I got behind this year and found ebay to be the easiest way to get the seeds I want very quickly. Most were seeds not commercially available yet. The shipping and handling is so minimal with the seed packets too!
Bigcitygal, I checked out some of your pics and comments on the echies, looks like you defiantely have some favorites and some not so much. Besides bravo and ruby giant which ones do you recommend the most?
E,
I actually don't have pic's of all them also. My Fragrant Angel wasn't to flowering stage yet, but that should be the standard white. Rocky Top was a nice - different shaped one. Jade will be better I believe when I move it to full sun. My Vintage Wine got sick and was destroyed - so I am getting the newer version(fatal atrraction).
Some of the more native varieties like Paradoxa and Pale Purple are a bit larger for a 'specimen' type garden.
As mentioned before some were not flowering yet last fall. And some I'm waiting to see how well they overwinter.I do plan on saving all my seeds from all of them this year, maybe I can sell them to you on ebay . ha ha ha
The white primadonna looks nice.
Al
Fragrant Angel was not at all standard....many more petals held out flat....not 'shuttlecock' style at all with a very nice fragrance. My plant was relatively young last summer...don't know how big/bushy it will get this year. I'll see if I have a pic.
Here we go....not the best as I was focusing on the lily...but you'll get the general idea anyway.
Here is Fragrant Angel - double and not the least droopy.
Here is White Swan - the white version of the typical form....though it has been robust for me.
I am curious too, to see what the seeds I collected from Mango Meadowbrite lead to....I hope they are fertile - I only got a few seeds from the couple of flowers that bloomed this year. Since they are hybrid, they may not be fertile at all.
Hi There -
I hope maybe someone can help. there is another thread on Echinacea - I think maybe that's the title of it. It's on my watch list and there were messages a couple of days ago. Due to getting used to a new browser on a new computer, I accidentally closed it before I read the newest postings and now I can't find it. It doesn't seem to be on this forum and a search hung up my computer.
Does anyone know where it is?
Thanks.
Ann
Ann,
I think I've been in on all the coneflower threads - what was it about?
Al
I don't remember everything, but I know that there was some discussion of the new yellow varieties. I know I promised to let people know how I liked the one I've ordered (later, of course).
Ann
Actually, I suddenly rememberd that through "My Info" you can review the posts you've made. I found it - on the Herbs forum.
http://www.davesgarden.com/forums/t/532302/
Ann
Ann,
Is this the one you are talking about. I loved it.
http://davesgarden.com/journal/d/i/8588/
Al
That's pretty. I actually don't know what variety I ordered or where my copy of the order is. I've been between two computers - setting up a new one. I reckon it will show up aftere the snow is gone.
Ann
Ok, so I made my first plant purchase of the year, I got fancy frills, sunrise and Green eyes. I'm psyched about the fancy frills, I'm expecting great things.
For some unknown to me reason, several of mine appeared to have died over the winter...go figure, in all reality we had no winter; but many are starting to emerge. Will post pics as soon as we have some blooms.
Debbie
Maybe it didn't get cold enough for them?
I am going to revive this thread with a question for anyone, however I know the heading will draw Big City like a honey pot draws Poo bear. I have a mixed bed of echies, nothing fancy just the old pinks and two or three white swans thrown in for effect. New growth just peeking up at about 1/4 to 1/2 in, and this new growth is red on some and green on others. Question for movement and or division, is the red the pink ones and the green the white ones and what does the new growth look like on the yellows/oranges? Thanks, Ken
Ken,
mmmm honey coneflowers
I took you some pics
Fragrant Angel / Magnus(your purple)
Razzmatazz / White Swan
hey Razz made it through the winter, no sign of life on my Orange Meadowbrites ;(
This message was edited Apr 14, 2006 5:29 PM
You're not getting off that easy here are more
Harvest Moon / Ruby Giant
Jade / Paradoxa
Al, so you concur emerging red leaf, "red" coneflower; emerging green leaf "white swan"; if that is the only choice between the two?
Ken,
yes - I didn't take a picture of the Orange Rudbeckia, but that has red leaves also.. White Swan is certainly green.
Cool, big help when dividing and relocating. Thanks, Ken
**bump**
Debbie,
The orange meadowbrites didn't make it here. They were in different beds, other coneflowers around them did well, and winter was easier on most plants. Oh well, they seem to be more of a novelty than a garden worker.
Al
Al--
I saw some at the nursery yesterday and to be quite frank, other than the color, the flowers were not impressive at all...to me anyway. I can wait a few years until they are less expensive and in smaller than gallon sizes. They were $7.99 and I still jumped on the ones I got instead. As you saw in the pics in the link--the foliage looked 100% healthier on them. Hopefully the hybridizers are working on that problem and the next generation of orange and apricots will be more impressive. Gives us something to hope for, right? And one thing gardeners have is a lot of faith...
Debbie
I love my orange meadowbrite, from the long thin and relatively sparse foliage to the droopier petals and that burnt orange is awsome!....Mine have come up without problem (this is 2nd year) and the Mango Meadobrite is back for year 3. Can't wait for the blooms to start.
We had a very uncovered winter for the last few months and some plants haven't shown up yet.
Sue
Ok, so my echinaceas are blooming like crazy right now. Mostly magnus and alba. I got some blooms from sunrise, which is very pretty but MUCH shorter than I expected it to be and I got one gorgeous bloom from green eye (so much darker than magnus) I will try to attach that picture if I can. Fancy Frills was about to bloom and fragrant angel too, then a bunny decided to eat off the bud. I'll have to wait for next year to see that one!
I have about 50 seedlings growing away from the batch of surprise seeds I got from a grower. I can't wait to see next year what I get.
Don't get me going on Fancy Frills - that plant is cursed!
Did your fancy frills not make it? I was expecting big things from that one, such pretty pictures on the growers sites. I saw your pics of angel, so nice. I just got three and doubt they will bloom this season. Is the scent great, can you smell it from a distance as the growers describe?
My sunrise is super short, very very short---like a foot to a foot and a half. Is that normal? It is first year but I expected it to be taller. I really like this green eyed echie, it really surprised me with the color of the petals.
My Fancy Frills I got from Wayside late(too late) last year and it did not make it so I got credit to get it replaced(not for outrageous shipping though) and the small plant I got had only one leaf on it and a rabbit ate it. It "might" regrow, but from such poor shape to start - maybe not.
I cannot find it locally or I would buy it there. Do you have a lot of Terra Nova echies for sale by you?
I can't smell well so I'm not much help, I can smell lilacs - it's not like that :)
Sunrise is an average height - about 2 1/2 feet I think, yes they do grow taller in their second year.
Fragrant Angel and Primadonna White are both nice white ones - subtle differences.
Al
Hi Al, actually I got them (green eye, fancy frills and sunrise) from a grower on ebay (McGlauflin's Perennials), and the angels was a mailorder gift (white flower farm)---I have not been able to find ANY of the unusual echies for sale around me, only the older meadowbrite and such.
What is with the bunnies and eating fancy frills leaves? I had a bud just ready to bloom and the little bugger ate it right off. I am hoping they come back next year---they better! Maybe fancy frills 'tastes' better because the bunnies didn't touch the magnus or alba.
BTW I was imagining it to be like lilacs, the description said it was 'strongly scented'. They should've said 'strongly scented . . .for an echinacea'. I'm a sucker for good advertising, I'm the naive one that believes the retouched photos on the catalogs are actually REAL. :)