Purple Coneflower Seed IF I plant Purple coneflower seed in late May is that too late?
I live in North Carolina (zone 6b)
Also, how long does it take them to grow from seed?
When should they bloom and for how long?
I started Cone flower and Shasta Daisy seeds in mid June last year, and the plants were strong enough to be planted on there own by fall.
I started mine in a planter box so that I could plant the best plants where I wanted them when they were ready for transplanting.
Bear in mind that cone flowers are perennials, so they won't bloom until the second year. They will usually bloom in June and bloom for a couple of months.
5 mile fall hike at Battelle Darby Creek Park - Columbus, Ohio
How many hours of sunlight does purple coneflower need?
and when should you plant the seeds?
our last frost date is April 15.
I JUST READ THAT THEY WILL ADAPT TO PART SHADE. ANYBODY WITH THIS EXPERIENCE?
ALSO, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE THEM TO GROW FROM SEED TO FLOWER?
IF I PUT THEM OUT AROUND MAY 22 , WILL I HAVE ENOUGH TIME?
Echinacea purpurea needs full sun. You should start seeds indoors in a peat tray ,planting them outside around May 1 to be safe. Do know that first year perennials often do not flower.You may consider buying some at your local nursery to supplement if you want color this year.And remember to amend your soil before planting(organics are best ) as Coneflowers like a rich , well drained soil.
Coneflower Seeds I planted my coneflower seeds too early. There about an inch high and I want them to live to see spring. Help?
I have a few Jiffy trays going. The seeds all said they needed about two weeks to germinate. They took off in about 3 days and they are touching the top of the dome. I tried removing the dome on one tray and they all started to wilt. The soil seemed moist enough not sure why? Even tried spraying water on the leaves. Nope they where not happy at all. I put the dome back on and it seemed to help the few that survived. Also running into mold issues. Are these plants too young to put in a frosted ground with more frost on the way? What are my options?
Sounds like your little plants have fallen to the demise of "damping off" which is a fungus problem. You might try planting what's left and covering them with shredded newspaper. If you have a paper shredder it would be great.
i want a butterfly garden, but the plants are sooo expensive?
could i try to grow them from seeds or is it to late for this year? i live in zone 5. if it is to late and i want to do this for next year, when should i be starting the seeds indoors? i have never grown anything. here is a link to the garden that i am going to try to grow. it is the second one. i also want to include some coneflower and some blazingstars http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/gardens/butterfly/designs.html
anytips are appreciated
Coneflower (ecchinacea) isn't too expensive to purchase a few plants to start with--they spread quite widely after a year or so (ask how I know ) and wood violets can be divided if you know someone who might like to thin theirs out. Spearmint, or any mint for that matter, should not be put in the ground, but kept in pots, it spreads like wildfire and is very difficult to get rid of (I have experience with that little mistake, too ). Digitalis (foxglove) can be seeded directly, as can bee balm (bergamot), which, btw, also is invasive. Columbine can be seeded, but it takes a long time to come up, that's one for the fall. Some of these others are also best seeded in the fall for next year. Yarrow, btw, is also good direct seeded and a lovely butterfly plant for zone 5.
Purple Coneflower Seeds just found an emvelope with "coneflower seeds" on it,Is it too late in the year to try to plant them?
I think they are purple coneflower seeds. They have been in this evelope for at least a year. I would really like to plant them, in the best location, and enjoy them in my yard.
I planted mine about this time last year, they are just about ready to bloom now. I don't think you will get any blooms this year, at least I didn't get any the first year. If you had started them in a pot a couple of months ago you may have gotten them to bloom. It is worth the wait though so go ahead and plant them. You have nothing to lose
Saving the Earth and protecting children and pets from dangerous chemicals are the reasons most gardeners cite for giving up pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but guess what? Making the switch to organic gardening methods will save you money too! Here are six examples of how going organic will put money back in your pocket.
**Plant veggies, spend less on doctor bills. A recent article by a Texas research biochemist summarizes some bad news: many scientific studies show that the vitamin content of fresh fruits and vegetables is on the decline. That’s alarming, because fresh produce should be an important source of vitamins and minerals in our diets -- without them, we’re more vulnerable to getting sick. Fortunately, there's a simple way to protect your health and reduce what you spend on costly doctor visits, cold and flu medications, and vitamin pills: plant some vegetables. Fresh-picked home garden produce is brimming with nutrition, and recent studies confirm that organically grown produce can be even richer in nutrients than conventionally grown fruits and veggies.
**Fire your lawn care service. How much do you pay for a lawn care company to treat your lawn? Chances are it's way too much. So ditch the lawn service and hire a local teen to mow for you instead. To encourage a healthy lawn the organic way, have your hired help set the mower high -- at least 3 inches high. That way, your lawn grass naturally shades out weeds (no more herbicides needed). Be sure your helper uses a mulching mower that returns grass clippings -- which contain valuable nitrogen -- to the lawn (no more bagged fertilizer needed). Once a year, have your helper spread good-quality compost too, about 1/4 inch thick. The compost will melt into the lawn almost immediately, adding a wide range of nutrients as well as beneficial microbes that help prevent lawn diseases.
**Fight pests with flowers instead of pesticides. More than 90 percent of the insects in your yard and garden are your friends, not your foes. Ladybugs, lacewings, and even many kinds of flies and tiny wasps are an important natural pest control force. Their larvae (the immature stages of the insects) gobble up aphids and other pests, or parasitize the caterpillars that would like to turn the foliage of your flowers and veggies into a holey mess. One easy way to attract these good-guy insects to your yard organically is to plant a garden of perennials and herbs with tiny flowers, because the adult beneficial insects eat pollen, not bugs. Yarrow, purple coneflowers, daisies, tansy, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias are great plants to start with, and you'll love how they look growing in sunny spots all around your yard. Buying a few packets of annual seeds and several potted perennials is much cheaper -- and much more fun -- than buying pesticides and a sprayer!
**Forget the bagged fertilizer -- buy seeds instead. It's true! A packet of cover crop seeds such as buckwheat or oats will add as much fertility to your garden beds as any bag of synthetic fertilizer can. And that's just the start of the story. Using synthetic fertilizer is a vicious cycle, because the chemicals in the fertilizer kill or repel beneficial earthworms and other organisms that help build a healthy soil. Plus, chemical fertilizer easily washes down through the soil when it rains, ending up in the groundwater we drink! You'll save big in the long term by planting cover crops instead—they prevent soil erosion, they encourage earthworms and other good guys, and they enrich your soil naturally. Simply sow the cover crop seed on lightly loosened soil, rake it in lightly, and water it to speed germination. Within 4 to 8 weeks, you can cut down the crop with shears or your lawn mower, and all that rich green material will naturally break down, leaving you a nutrient-primed planting bed that will produce bumper crops of veggies, fruit, or flowers.
**Reduce your water bill by capturing rainwater. Depending on where you live, as much as 50 percent of the water you use goes to keeping your garden green and growing. That's a big expense that will only get bigger as water supply problems increase around the country. But for less than $100, you can buy and install a rain barrel that will capture the rain that falls on your roof, providing you a free supply of water for your gardens virtually indefinitely. Rain barrels are available from home centers and mail-order suppliers, and it takes no special skills to install one.
**Grow gourmet salad toppings on the cheap. Microgreens are all the rage at fancy restaurants and farm markets, but boy are they expensive! Here's a secret: you can grow your own microgreens at any time of year on a sunny windowsill for a fraction of the price. Simply save leftover clamshell containers from the deli and buy some organic transplanting mix that's enriched with compost. Clean the containers well, use a barbecue skewer to poke several drainage holes in each one, and fill them with moist mix. Then sprinkle veggie seeds (be sure the seeds haven't been treated with pesticides) generously over the soil surface, cover lightly with more mix, and set the containers in a catch tray on the windowsill. Mist daily until sprouts appear, then water as needed to keep them growing. Within three weeks, the sprouts will reach the two-leaf stage, and you can snip them with scissors to garnish salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Use lettuce, arugula and other salad greens, as well as broccoli, kale, dill, cilantro, basil, even peas.
Fern Marshall Bradley, co-editor with Trevor Cole of The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening, is a writer and editor whose favorite topics are gardening and sustainable living. A co-author of Reader's Digest's Vegetable Gardening, she also conceived and edited The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Insect and Disease Control, The Expert's Book of Garden Hints, among others. Bradley is a former gardening books editor for Rodale.
Purple Cone Flower Eradicate Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)?
One patch of my garden last year got taken over by Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). It was mainly a purple cone flower garden. I am fearful they will come back and take over. I don't know if it blew on wind, brought in by animals or what. Rabbits are in that garden all spring/summer/fall. I spent hours this fall trying to dig them up. Being so large and perhaps a (rhizome?) Advice?
It does blow in on the wind, it has a fluffy seed head that blows seed everywhere, and it also sticks to animal fur. Could have come in either way.
Just keep digging it out, about the only way to get rid of it. If you decide to keep a few, remember to dead head them as soon as they finish blooming, cut them back to the ground. Solidago can be a worthy perennial if it is managed right. And yes, the roots are very tenacious. You can't just pull them out, they have to be dug.
Valentine's Day is one of the most romantic days of the year and the most popular gift to give, among new couples and married ones, is flowers. Flowers are possibly the most romantic token of your love and affection! Choosing the perfect flowers for your loved one can be difficult . . . do you go with traditional roses or something different? Here are the top seven most romantic flowers in our book.
1. Roses. Clichéd perhaps, but still very romantic. The color of rose you select means different things. Red is for passion, perfect for the hot young couple who is just getting into their affair, pink is romance, ideal for chaste pairs and married couples, or anyone who is just in love. Stay away from yellow, these ones mean friendship and aren't very romantic at all!
2. Tulips. Tulips traditionally mean "perfect love" and are really a great alternative to the rose. Tulips come in a variety of hues, so it is pretty easy to find one that comes in your lover's favorite color, even if that's black. This simple flower really symbolizes the perfection of your love, with its sculpted petals and beautiful cup. A simple bouquet of three or five tulips is ideal to give to your darling this Valentine's Day.
3. Lilies. These elegant flowers are stunning when presented alone or in a cluster and do best when not combined with any filler. They are come in several colors, including red, white and yellow and symbolize beauty . . . just right for letting your girl know how lovely you consider her to be. While expensive, lilies really do embody beauty and create a very romantic environment.
4. Lilacs. These amazing flowers are most revered for their delightful aroma and tiny delicate flowers that grow in cone-like clusters. They can be picked directly from the bush and given to your sweetheart as a beautiful Valentine's Day gift. Traditionally available in hues ranging from soft lavender to dark purple, lilacs have now been bred to come in white and pink as well, all beautiful romantic shades.
5. Carnations. Another fairly traditional flower is the carnation. They are frilly and feminine and come in hues like pink, white, and red, as well as more stunning shades of purple, green and even blue. Some carnations even have dual colors, with the outer edge of the petals in red or pink while the main flower is white. They can be quite stunning, but tend to be the cheaper of the flowers available. These flowers last longer than most, up to 3 weeks after they've been cut.
6. Orchids. The meanings of this delicate flower are many, including seduction, love, beauty and refinement. Though often quite pricey, a single orchid can be a lovely way to tell someone that you care about them and is considered to be quite romantic. Plus, it's about as far from the traditional rose as you can get!
7. Wildflowers. This is more a variety of flower than a specific kind. There are literally thousands of different wildflowers growing in fields and yards across the country. What makes this so romantic is that you have to actually go out and take the time to select and pick the flowers for your sweetheart. Giving wildflowers for Valentine's Day is sure to impress your girl as it is a very romantic gesture.
In general Valentines Day Flowers are a romantic gift, but these flowers hold more romantic connotations than others. Whether you choose to go with the traditional rose or something a little more unique, you can guarantee that your gesture won't be misinterpreted if you give flowers.
About the Author
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Take a hike through a meadow in full bloom and chances are you'll wish you could recreate a smaller version in your own yard. The colors and varieties of flowers and grasses are totally random, yet about as close to landscaped perfection that you'll ever find. Whether you have a large expanse or a small area, a wildflower garden can be a unique addition to your landscaping plan.
The native plants are hardy and once established require little care, fertilizer or watering. In a true wildflower garden, the flowers are planted close together, at least one per square foot of dirt. This allows them to provide shelter for one another, conserve water, and helps to eliminate weeds. The brightly colored flowers attract a variety of birds and butterflies and can provide a taste of wilderness even in the most urban setting,
Once a wildflower garden is fully established, you can sit back and enjoy, but the real effort comes with the soil preparation and maintenance in the first two or three years. Here is a guide to the successful planning and planting of your own wildflower meadow.
Designing Your Garden:
Plant a combination of wildflowers and native grasses. The most common complaint from new gardeners is that the garden bloomed beautifully the first year and proceeded to get sparser in subsequent years, accompanied by a high concentration of weeds. This is often the result of choosing a seed mixture consisting of non-native annuals instead of true native, perennial wildflowers and grasses. With the latter species, you shouldn't expect blooms until the third year.
When choosing plants, use a combination of Spring and late bloomers, as well as a mixture of tall and low growing species.
Flowers that attract birds or butterflies, include Blazing stars, coneflowers, asters, silphiums and sunflowers. If deer are a problem in your area, choose a combination of deer resistant seeds such as lavender hyssop, nodding wild onion, coreopsis, purple clover, purple coneflower and meadow rose.
Choose a sunny location with good air circulation. Your wildflowers will need a minimum of one half day of full sun to really thrive. Steep north-facing slopes tend to be sheltered from the sun and are not the best candidates for meadows, but do well with ferns or woodland wildflowers.
Soil & Site Preparation:
Determine your soil type, adding to it if needed. For instance, a sandy or clay type soil will benefit from added organic matter which breaks up heavy soils, improving ability to absorb water and provides air flow to the roots. The other effective method for improving poor soil is to plant a "green manure crop" such as buckwheat. Let it grow for a year and plow it under. The roots will draw up the nutrients from the lower soil and convert them into organic matter.
In addition to proper growing conditions and good soil, the most important factor in growing a successful wildflower garden is having a smooth, surface, free of weeds. The first step is to remove any existing vegetation is by smothering, cultivating, herbiciding or a combination of these.
On smaller areas, smothering is an effective method of eliminating weeds. Cover the planting area with dark plastic, tarps, old carpeting, plywood or a thick layer of leaves for a complete growing season. Adding a layer of newspaper before covering will enrich the soil even more. As the paper decomposes, worms will move in, adding even more nutrients.
A broad spectrum, non-persistent herbicide will also do the trick, especially on larger areas. The third alternative is to cultivate the area using a rototiller or tractor.
Planting:
Once you have prepared your site, purchase your seeds from a reliable grower. On areas less than one acre, the seeds can be dispersed by hand, by mixing with a lightweight material such as vermiculite, peat moss or sawdust. For a 1000 square foot planting, combine one bushel basket of this material, dampened slightly, with your seed. Take half the mixture and spread across the area. When spreading the second half, walk perpendicular to your first spreading. If the soil is dry, proceed to roll the area. If it is wet, then wait until it dries slightly to avoid compacting the soil.
