Echinacea Cherry Brandy is a compact, small, and bushy summer-flowering plant. The flowers of Echinacea Cherry Brandy have a striking cherry-red color. This variety is a biennial, but in our climate (the Netherlands and Belgium), it is usually grown as an annual. It can also self-seed, allowing it to reappear the year after sowing. Echinacea Cherry Brandy belongs to the daisy familie (Asteraceae), like Yarrow, Yellow Chamomile, Wormwood, Mugwort, Daisy, Marigold, African Marigold, Cornflower, Endive, Chicory, Lettuce, Globe Thistle, Curry Plant, Sunflower, Dandelion, German Chamomile, Roman Chamomile, St. John’s Wort, Salsify, Joe-Pye Weed, Edelweiss, Elecampane, and Milk Thistle. Echinacea Cherry Brandy is originally from North America, but this cultivar has been developed by humans.
Place Echinacea Cherry Brandy in a very sunny and sheltered spot with well-draining, fertile soil. It requires little maintenance due to its compact growth, but light support and regular removal of spent flowers are recommended. This variety can grow 40 - 60 cm tall and 30 - 40 cm wide. It is excellent for medium-sized borders, pots, or container planting, as well as mixed plantings. Echinacea Cherry Brandy combines well with many other plants such as Catmint, Salvia, Gaura, other Echinacea varieties, Wild Bergamot, Heliopsis, Verbena bonariensis, Feather Grass, Fescue, Yarrow, Bottlebrush Grass, Pampas Grass, Perovskia, Lavender, and Veronica. These combinations allow layered borders, where height, color, and texture complement each other, creating a natural and vibrant effect. This makes Echinacea Cherry Brandy a versatile choice for both beginner gardeners looking for an easy, low-maintenance plant and experienced gardeners wanting a colorful, dynamic border. Echinacea Cherry Brandy flowers from June till September. Regularly remove spent flowers. It is an excellent cut flower and is highly attractive to bees, butterflies, bumblebees, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects. Non hardy biennial. Height: 40 - 60 cm. Width: 30 - 40 cm.
Indoor sowing: mid-March - mid-April
Outdoor sowing: mid-April - mid-May
Germination: 8 - 21 days
Germination temp.: 18 - 20 °C
Sowing depth: shallow - 3 mm
Plant distance: 25 - 35 cm
Sowing distance between the rows: 25 cm
Plantposition: sunny - half shade
Flowering period: July - October
Sow indoors from mid-March. Sow in trays filled with moist and well-loosened potting soil. Sow thinly and shallowly and do not cover the seeds, but press them gently. Keep the seeds well moist and warm Cover the trays with a lid to keep the moisture in. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let it drop especially at night. Remove the lid as soon as the seedlings emerge.Transplant the seedlings into separate pots as soon as they are big enough to handle.
In early May, the young plantlets can be put outside during the day to harden off. Harden off the plantlets for 10 - 14 days. After this, put them in the open ground in a sunny, sheltered spot with well-loosened and well-watered soil. If necessary, give the plants semi-shade. Keep the Echinacea plants 25 - 35 cm apart.
Sow outdoors from mid-April, as soon as there is no chance of night frost. Sow shallowly and thinly and do not cover the seeds, but press or rake them gently into the soil. Provide a sunny, sheltered spot with well-loosened and well-drained soil. If necessary, provide semi-shade. Thin out the seedlings at 25 - 35 cm, once they are large enough to handle. Remove spent flowers, so Echinacea will continue to flower from July to October. Remove weeds. Water the flowers sufficiently during dry periods. Pick the flowers in the morning when they are just opening for a beautiful and long lasting (1 week) bouquet. The flowers of coneflower are edible. They have a fairly spicy flavour. Use sparingly to decorate dishes, for example.
