Rules for planting and caring for perennial echinacea, 10 best varieties for open ground

Perennial echinacea is loved by gardeners because it has many beneficial properties. Since ancient times, herbal decoctions and tinctures have been used in folk medicine to protect against infections and strengthen the immune system. At the same time, Echinacea is a good honey plant. Its flowers are varied in shape, shades, and stem height. A flowering plant will decorate any flower bed or garden plot. A flowering plant will decorate any flower bed or garden plot. Planting and caring for perennial echinacea is simple and does not require much experience. It is unpretentious, and even a novice gardener can grow it on the site.

Popular types and varieties of Echinacea

The genus Echinacea includes 9 species, each of which has a variety of varieties. All of them have excellent decorative qualities and bloom with large, bright inflorescences that compete with each other in beauty. Echinacea is actively used in the preparation of garden compositions, as it gets along well with any flowering plants.

The most common are 2 types of plants - Echinacea purpurea (the ancestor of many modern varieties) and Echinacea strange (a species that has no varieties).

Strange (Echinacea Britton paradoxa)

Echinacea strange is a plant with rich decorative properties. Only this species has flowers with sunny-colored petals.

Purple (Echinacea purpurea)

It has large inflorescences, with an average diameter of up to 15 centimeters, and elongated graceful petals. The core rises above the petals and has the shape of a cone. Often it creates a contrast with the petals, and then the flower looks even more impressive. The stem is rough and can reach one meter in length.

Numerous varieties of Echinacea purpurea are expressive, have a variety of shapes and colors.

Cranberry Cupcake

Cranberry Cupcake coneflowers have a double center and rich pink petals. This variety is highly valued by specialists in creating garden compositions and is often used by them.

The King

The flower of The King variety has a tall stem. Reminiscent of a large chamomile with red-pink petals. The flowers can reach 15-16 centimeters in diameter.

White Swan

Echinacea White Swan (translated as White Swan) blooms with beautiful snow-white flowers that look like huge daisies.

Indiaca

Tall plant (stem can reach 75 centimeters). The flowers have long petals of pink and orange shades, the core is terry and fluffy. The flowering period is very long and lasts all summer.

Magnus

The plant has a rigid long stem. The flowers are large, the core and petals can be colored differently: the petals are dark red with splashes of purple, and the middle is light brown. The plant is characterized by late flowering (ends in October, with the onset of cold weather).

Sunset (Echinacea x sunset)

This variety includes several varieties obtained by crossing Echinacea purpurea and paradoxical. Breeders have tried to combine the best qualities of these plants in hybrids. Their flowers have large baskets on branching shoots, gracefully curved petals, and smell pleasant.

Eccentric

Representatives of this variety are distinguished by a low stem (no more than 60 centimeters). The plant has very spectacular large flowers. Its petals are modestly drooping, and the fluffy center is spherical in shape. It has one interesting property: in buds the inflorescences are orange, and after blooming they become scarlet.

Terry

Double coneflower is a species that includes several varieties with double flowers.They all have a fluffy center framed by delicate petals. There are white, purple, crimson, orange, green shades.

Rudbeckia purpurea

Rudbeckia and Echinacea are two plants belonging to different genera, although they are very similar in appearance. Their flowers are the same in shape, although they differ in color (rudbeckia is yellow, and echinacea is red). Due to this similarity, Echinacea purpurea was described by the naturalist Carl Linnaeus. He gave it the name “rudbeckia purpurea.”

Later, German botanists concluded that the difference between the two plants is more significant. These are not only the shades of the petals, but also the structure of the bracts.

Thus, rudbeckia purpurea is a misnomer for Echinacea purpurea. Rudbeckia has its own name given to the plant in its homeland, North America - Black Eyed Susan (black-eyed Susan) because of the dark-colored inflorescences.

How to plant a perennial plant

The lifespan of Echinacea is about 5 years. For growing, you need to choose open sunny areas. Slightly alkaline fertile soil is suitable. The plant can be propagated by seeds or seedlings.

Planting is done in autumn or early spring. In nature, Echinacea reproduces by self-sowing, dropping seeds into the ground in the fall so that sprouts appear in the spring.

Having chosen a seed planting path for a plant, you should do the same. This method is not reliable as some seeds may be of poor quality. Therefore, it is much safer to plant using seedlings previously grown in containers with a nutrient mixture.

Flowers appear in the second year after planting and bloom for about 60 days. It is important to strive to ensure that the plant is strong and healthy.Then it can serve as a good honey plant for bees, and its medicinal properties will manifest themselves most clearly.

Seed preparation

In order to get strong seedlings, the seeds must first be prepared. The grains are placed in cotton wool or a thin cloth and filled with water so that it completely covers the cloth. After some time, the seeds will germinate, after which they can be planted.

Timing and technology of sowing

Before growing in open ground, hatched seeds must be planted in individual containers with a nutrient medium. You should fill the cups with soil, make holes in them and place the sprouted seeds there. Immediately after planting, future seedlings should be watered abundantly. The process of seed germination can last a long time - up to 1.5 months.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

Transplantation of seedlings into open ground is carried out in May-June. In the selected location, dig holes according to the number of sprouts at a distance of 25-30 centimeters. Before planting, you should fertilize the soil by placing a mixture of garden soil and compost at the bottom of the hole, and after planting, thoroughly water the seedlings.

In the future, you will need to maintain moderate humidity, constantly weed and loosen the soil.

How to take care of your favorite plant in the garden

Caring for the plant is not difficult, but the preservation of the valuable qualities of Echinacea depends on the correct actions. It is important that the flower has enough sunlight, and that the soil is well loosened, cleared of weeds and watered. If the plant is to be used for the preparation of herbal medicines, the use of chemicals for fertilization or treatment should be avoided. In this case, only organic compounds are suitable.

Watering frequency

Echinacea is a moisture-loving plant.The soil around it must be constantly moistened. It is recommended to water frequently, but not too much. In hot summers, water daily, but only in the evening. When cool weather sets in, monitor the condition of the soil and water as needed. Plants benefit from root watering.

What and how to feed a flower

The plant needs to be fed only if the soil is not fertile enough. It is better to use organic fertilizer by mixing compost and wood ash. You can also use a complex fertilizer containing nitrogen or potassium phosphate. Spring time should be used to apply fertilizers.

Fertilizing is carried out to achieve bright and lush flowering. If you plan to use echinacea as a medicinal plant, then it is better not to feed it.

Echinacea flowering

Echinacea blooms only in the second year after planting. The young plant has dense foliage, and the flower stalks are still poorly developed. You can admire the abundant flowering from mid-July to early October.

How to collect echinacea seeds

Seeds for future plantings are collected at the very end of the season - these are the last days of October. At this time, the seed pods look like blackened, prickly balls. They are cut with short stems and put in a dark, dry place so that they dry out over the winter. You can wrap the boxes in a plastic bag and hang them by the stem. Then, as they dry, the seeds will fall onto the polyethylene. They are collected, dried for some time and placed in the refrigerator. This storage method is reliable and ensures high germination rates for the seeds.

Pruning Echinacea

In order to preserve the beauty of plants longer, it is necessary to trim off dried inflorescences. New buds will appear in their place. They also do pre-winter pruning.The foliage and all stems are cut off at a distance of 5 centimeters from the surface of the ground. Roots covered for the winter will more easily survive the winter cold.

Transfer

It is recommended to replant the plant in late spring or early autumn. This should be done with a lump of earth. After replanting, it is important that the soil is constantly moistened - this will make it easier for the plant to take root in its new location. It is also important to trim the inflorescences before transplanting.

Preparing the plant for winter

Echinacea is a winter-hardy plant. But in the climatic conditions of the northern regions and Siberia, it is necessary to properly prepare the plants for winter. Left without shelter in severe frosts, they can freeze to death. After pre-winter pruning and mulching with compost, you should cover the remaining root collars with fallen leaves. The fallen snow will reliably protect them from severe frosts. This is especially necessary for young one-year-old plants.

Diseases and pests of Echinacea: prevention and control

The plant has high disease resistance. But there are a number of infectious pathologies and parasites that are dangerous to the flower. Control methods include removal of diseased plants and treatment with modern preparations - insecticides.

The following diseases are common:

1. Fusarium is a fungal disease that causes root rot. For the fight, the drug Fundazol is used.
2. Powdery mildew is a white coating caused by a fungus that lives in damp soil. The treatment method is treatment with Bordeaux mixture.
3. Cercospora blight is a fungal pathology that manifests itself as white spots on the leaves. In the initial stages, it is enough to tear off the diseased leaves. In case of severe infestation, insecticides cannot be avoided.

The following parasites are dangerous for Echinacea:

1. Whitefly is a pest butterfly that eats plant leaves.The insecticides Aktara and Konfidor are used for control.
2. Slugs also destroy leaves and live in waterlogged soil. It is recommended to reduce watering and sprinkle the soil with superphosphates.
3. Slobbering frog - damages leaves and stems of plants. To combat, spray with infusions of tobacco dust, garlic, and laundry soap.

Culture propagation

Echinacea is propagated in three ways:

1. Seeds. They are used in two cases - obtaining seedlings at home and sowing directly into the ground. This method is not convenient. Some seeds do not germinate because they are not viable.
2. Dividing the bush. A common method, but applicable only for adult plants (4-5 years old). Used in spring.
3. By cuttings. The method is complicated, so sometimes it ends in failure.

Seeds

The decision to propagate echinacea by seeds is made if they want to grow new varieties of plants that are not yet on the site. It is advisable to germinate seeds in greenhouses for subsequent planting, but you can sow directly into open ground. The plantings are regularly watered, the soil is loosened, and the temperature is maintained at a comfortable temperature – about +15 degrees Celsius. Shoots will appear in about a month.

Sow in open ground in October-November, leaving for the winter. In the spring, seedlings will produce viable seeds.

Dividing the bush

The procedure is carried out in April-May. Carefully dig up a bush with strong roots and divide it. The best option is 2-3 fragments that have good roots with renewal points.

Propagation by cuttings

This method is used at the end of May-June. Cuttings with two leaves are cut from healthy stems. The sections are treated with a growth stimulator and planted in fertilized soil at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius.

The appearance of new leaves means that the cuttings have taken root. After two months, they are planted in open ground in a permanent place.

There are three known conditions for good growth of Echinacea: plenty of sunlight, soil with a pH level greater than 6 but less than 8, and well-drained soil. If they are completed, then you can safely start growing the plant. Taking care of its cultivation will generously pay off with the joy of communicating with bright, positive flowers throughout the warm period of time.