Echinacea angustifolia

NARROW LEAF CONEFLOWER

Medicinal Echinacea

Echinacea angustifolia
NARROW LEAF CONEFLOWER
Medicinal Echinacea

Large sunrays of soft rose pink, encircle showy mahogany cones, on the old favourite Echinacea angustifolia.

Loved for centuries for flowers & medicine

Echinacea angustifolia has never lost favour as a natural herbal tonic.
For centuries it has been used and reputed to enhance the immune system and aid in the speedy recovery from coughs and colds.
And to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant,  and anti-viral properties.

Old remedy for anxiety & blood sugar

While several types of Echinacea contain the proposed useful compounds (E. angustifolia, E. purpurea and E. pallida), Echinacea angustifolia is the one most favoured for pharmaceutical benefits.
And most commonly commercially farmed.
Leaves, stems, flowers and roots have all been traditionally used, particularly by the native North American First Nations people.
Flowers and roots contain the highest levels of desirable compounds, while Echinacea angustifolia has the highest concentration of all in its roots.
Please consult your health care professional before using Echinacea treatments.

Beautiful coned flowers of soft rose

Whatever the science of these traditional medicinal claims – Echinacea angustifolia is worth growing, without ever taking it as medicine.
Grow it for wonderful coned flowers, excellent as cut flowers, and long and prolific autumn blooming.

Long blooming & weather sturdy

Abundant flowers bloom from late spring to first frost on well branched stems.
And the strong stems do not need staking.
Cutting the flowers will encourage the development of side shoots and prolong the blooming season.

Excellent cut flowers for floristry

Echinacea angustifolia gives excellent cut flowers, to use either fresh or dried.
The cones are also decorative on the plant long after the petals have dropped.
So gardeners often leave the cones to stand through winter, providing both visual structure, and feed for small native seed eating birds.

Hardy & easy to grow

This hardy native of North America enjoys Full Sun to Light Shade.
It is a very unfussy, low maintenance plant, which grows happily in just about any well drained soil.

More water-wise & frost hardy

Echinacea angustifolia is considered to be more resistant to periods of dry than Echinacea purpurea varieties.
It quickly develops a strong, deep tap root.
Once established it is water-wise plant, that needs only minimal extra watering, and can survive dry spells well.
It is robustly frost hardy.

Long lived perennial plant

Echinacea angustifolia is a hardy, perennial plant.
Growing to approx. 75cm. High in flower (though can reach 90cm. in very good conditions).
And making a neat clump of foliage approx 45cm. Wide.
It is a long-lived perennial, and will remain evergreen over winter in all but the coldest districts.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Sow at any time of year in punnets indoors, whenever suitable temperatures are available (20-24°C).
OR
Sow directly in the garden / field in late winter & spring, or in late summer & autumn.
Though higher germination rates are usually achieved by sowing in a punnet.

Tip for improving the speed and success rate of germination for Echinacea angustifolia:
1. First mix up a weak solution of household bleach at the rate of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
Then soak the seeds for 5 minutes, and finally rinse the seeds off with clean, cold water that has previously been boiled in the kettle.
2. Now sow the seeds in their punnet (see below); thoroughly moisten; wrap in cling-wrap or a plastic bag; label and date; and place in the fridge (not freezer) for at least 3 weeks (4 is better).
Because these 2 pre-conditioning steps greatly increase the germination rate and speed of germination for Echinacea angustifolia seeds.
If space in the fridge is at a premium – then you can mix the bleach washed seed with a little vermiculite, and seal in a clip-lock bag, then sow in the punnet after the period in the fridge.

SOWING ECHINACEA ANGUSTIFOLIA INDOORS

Sow indoors for quick plants & early flowers: First give the seeds the bleach wash, then sow the seeds in a punnet on surface of good quality seed raising mix.
(Or use the sealed bag of vermiculite trick and sow in the punnet after chilling)

Now gently pat the seeds to the surface of the mix to ensure good contact.

Because light is needed for germination of Echinacea seed – only barely cover with the finest dusting of sieved mix / fine vermiculite.

Then thoroughly moisten the punnet through by standing it in a shallow water bath and allowing the moisture to percolate up to the surface from below.

Give the punnet the “pretend winter” period of chilling by wrapping the moist, sown punnet in cling wrap and placing in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.
Then remove, remoisten.

Now stand the moist, sown punnet in a warm, well-lit position.
But not in any direct sunlight; instead bright but indirect light is perfect.

Temperatures of 20-24°C approx. are optimum for rapid germination.

Continue to keep consistently moist by misting from a spray water-bottle regularly as required.
The seeds should always be moist (not soggy wet), and never dry.

Then germination may start after just 5 days and may take up to 20 days.
So do not discard the punnet too quickly, as it is normal for some seeds to come later.

It is important to begin pricking the seedlings out as soon as they develop their first set of true leaves, as these vigorous little plants quickly develop a strong tap root.
Pot up and grow on until ready to plant in the open garden or commercial field.

First year flowering

Echinacea will flower in 11 to 15 weeks from sowing so flowers are possible in the first year from sowing the seeds.

Seed Count: 15 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count and give a generous serve).

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