Echinacea Herbstwald is a beautiful mixture of echinaceas in various warm colours.This mix produces large, striking flowers in shades of golden yellow, amber, orange, bronze and deep reddish-brown, all featuring a distinctive, contrasting dark brown centre. The impressive blooms are surrounded by dark green, serrated foliage and are carried on strong, sturdy stems. Echinacea originates from North America, where it is mainly found on the prairies. Echinacea Herbstwald belongs to the daisy family (Asteraceae), just like plants such as yarrow, wormwood, aster, endive, cosmos, thistle, marigold, cornflower, daisy, milk thistle, oxeye daisy, dandelion and sunflower. Echinacea is also known as coneflower, hedgehog coneflower and American coneflower. In our climate (the Netherlands and Belgium), this plant is usually grown as an annual, as it often does not survive wet winters.
These flowers are very suitable as cut flowers. It is also used as a medicinal plant. Echinacea is mainly used to boost the immune system and combat flu, colds and sore throats. According to some sources, it isn't advisable for pregnant and breastfeeding women to use Echinacea. Echinacea Herbstwald is also very suitable for cultivation in bee and butterfly gardens, wild gardens and natural gardens. Plant Echinacea Herbstwald in a sunny, sheltered, well-fertilised spot with well-drained soil. Give this plant some partial shade if necessary. Combine Echinacea Herbstwald with, among others, daylily, phlox, stonecrop, lycaenid, liatris, salvia, geranium, purple loosestrife, and purple loosestrife. This plant flowers if sown early in the year of sowing. If sown later, it will flower in the second year after sowing. Echinacea flowers from July till October. Echinacea is also very popular with bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Semi-hardy perennial. Height: 60 - 80 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.
