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How to grow Coneflowers (echinacea) in the UK
Big daisies with spiky orange middles - bees and butterflies queue up for them.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Sunfull sun
- Grows to90cm
- Spacing45cm
- Time to first pickabout 10 weeks
- Typeperennial
When to sow, plant and harvest coneflowers (echinacea)
| Plant | mid April to mid June or early September to late September |
|---|---|
| In flower | early July to late September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Planting it
- Water your new plants in their pots first
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 45cm apart each way
Top tips for growing coneflowers (echinacea)
- Leave the seed heads in winter - birds eat the seeds.
Soil and feeding
Poor soil - really!. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil. Feed them and you get all leaves and no flowers.
Harvesting and eating coneflowers (echinacea)
Enjoy them! Cut a few for a vase.
Saving your own coneflowers (echinacea) seed
Late summer and autumn, as the flowers fade.
- Stop deadheading a few flowers - let them fade on the plant
- When the seed heads are dry and brown (and the seeds rattle), snip them off on a dry day
- Shake the seeds into a paper bag
- Spread on a plate to dry for a week
Where to buy coneflowers (echinacea) plants
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Coneflowers (echinacea) questions
When do I plant out coneflowers (echinacea)?
Plant coneflowers (echinacea) out from mid April to mid June or early September to late September.
When can I enjoy coneflowers (echinacea)?
Coneflowers (echinacea) is ready from early July to late September. Enjoy them! Cut a few for a vase.
How long do coneflowers (echinacea) take to grow?
Roughly 10 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are coneflowers (echinacea) easy to grow?
Coneflowers (echinacea) are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
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