Echinacea purpurea

‘Lustre Hybrids’

LUSTRE COLOURS CONEFLOWERS

Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’
LUSTRE COLOURS CONEFLOWERS

Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’ are a mix of seeds gathered from the most beautifully coloured new cultivars.

Mix of the most beautifully coloured Coneflowers

So the mix contains Coneflowers in shades of white, creams, lemons, pinks, sunset and plummy reds.
With long, frilled petals.
But equally as hardy, water-wise and easy to grow as the original old Coneflowers.

A profusion of flowers

A profusion of large and richly coloured blooms are produced on 90cm. stems.
And these are excellent for cutting with long, clean. strong stems.

Great cut fresh for a vase or dried

So blooms are very useful fresh in a vase, where they last for ages.
Or for dried for arrangements and pot-pourri.

Wonderful decorative cones

While the wonderful central cones are bronze at first, they then turn black as the seed matures. Plus these seed heads are also very decorative when dried.
And a great help to our feathered friends in the winter, when seed eating birds love to feast from seed heads you helpfully to over-winter on your plants.

Water-wise & dry hardy

Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’ are an excellent water-wise choice for gardeners conscious of using minimal water.
Because they are drought hardy, water-wise, and frost hardy.
And can even cope in poorer soils, including clay and rocky soils.
In fact they prefer a leaner diet and bloom better on shorter rations.

Heat & humidity resistant

They thrive in average soil or hot, dry conditions, and are also suitable for gardens where summer brings humidity.

Easy to grow & low maintenance

Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’ are easy to grow and low maintenance.
They are also frost hardy and enjoy full sun to light shade.
(See “Growing” section below for details).

Rabbit & deer resistant plant

Rabbits and deer rarely trouble mature plants of Echinacea (no-one told the beasts that Echinacea is reputed to boost the immune system – Sssshhhhhh).
Though they may nibble on fresh shoots in a hungry year, Echinacea is not generally one of the nibbling pests favourite foods.

Pollinator favourite – top of the pops in autumn

Echinacea pallida blooms are beloved by a wide range of our useful pollinators – from honeybees to solitary native bees; from butterflies to moths; from honey-eater native birds to autumn seed eaters.
The prominent central cones are rich in pollen and nectar, and at a useful time of year during the autumn when not so many other flowers are available.
Then if you do not cut all the blooms – the remaining decorative, long-lasting seed heads are a boon to seed eating birds in winter.

Quick from seed to flowers

Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’ will flower in 11 to 15 weeks from seed sowing.
So blooms are possible in the first year from sowing the seed

Hardy perennials

Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’ make impressive, hardy perennial clumps.
75-90cm. Tall in flower and cone x 45cm. Wide neat clump of foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Suitable for beginners & kids

Sow at any time of year in a punnet indoors – whenever suitable temperatures are available (20-24°C).
OR
Sow in the garden during late winter & spring or late summer & autumn.

Sow indoors for optimum germination & fast plants: First sow the seeds in a punnet on surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then pat the seeds gently to the surface of the mix ensure good contact.
But only barely cover the seeds with sieved mix because light is needed for germination with these seeds.

Now thoroughly moisten the punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath.
And allowing the moisture to percolate to the surface of the mix from below.

Then place the punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sunlight).
And continue to keep moist by misting with a spray water bottle.

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

Germination may start in just 5 days and continue up to 20 days after sowing.
Echinacea will flower in 11 to 15 weeks from sowing – so flowers are possible in the first year grown from seed.

Then prick out the seedlings once they large enough to handle.
And transplant into pots to grow on for planting out into the garden.

Seed Count: 30 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

GROWING: Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’

– Height with flowers: Blooms over summer and autumn on strong, weatherproof stems to approx. 75cm-90cm. high.
– Width: Neat, tight, evergreen clump of foliage to a diameter of 45cm. approx.
– Position: Echinacea are hardy growers in Full Sun, though they can also tolerate and perform well in some Partial Shade. As long as they are well drained and not in damp shade.

Easily pleased, unfussy plants

– Soil: Echinacea are considered very easy to please plants.
Because they will happily tolerate poor, rocky soil, sandy or dry soils, as well as normal, average garden soil.
So they perform better when they are not overfed or pampered with rich soil.
Unfussy Echinacea can also can tolerate clay soils as long as they do not remain wet and mucky.
Plus they are tolerant of alkaline, lime soils.
– Frost: Echinacea are very frost hardy, as they can tolerate hard frosts to below -20C.
– Humidity: Echinacea also tolerate summer humidity well.
– Water-wise: Echinacea are excellent water-wise perennials, because they have a low water need once established.

Assets in the garden

– Fragrance: Echinacea are magnificent and long lasting cut flowers, even though they have little to no scent.
– Growth: Echinacea make a neat, hardy, evergreen perennial clump.
– Bees & birds: Nectar and pollen rich cones provide much needed energy food over the warmer months for bees, pollinators and butterflies. Then if you leave the decorative cones to dry, they will also provide seed for small birds into winter.

Easy, low care

– Care: Echinacea are very easy care, low maintenance plants.
They are rarely if ever troubled by pests or diseases.
The only possible maintenance work is to harvest the flower stems for flower vases, or to tidy off the spent flower stems at the end of autumn (though leave the cones to dry into winter if you wish to attract small seed eating birds to your garden).
– Deer & Rabbit resistant: Echinacea are fortunately not particularly attractive to either rabbits or deer.
– Origin: Echinacea are native to the prairies of Eastern and Central North America, where they grow in a very wide range of conditions. This of course accounts for their hardiness and unfussy nature in the garden.

A much loved traditional & modern medicinal plant 

Echinacea purpurea was always an important ingredient in the medicine chest for native American First Nation people. They used it to treat wounds and infections, and especially to treat snakebite (though I think an anti venom injection is preferred today!!!).

And Echinacea purpurea has once again become a popular as a modern herbal supplement today. With many believers in its efficacy for strengthening the immune system.
So it is now grown as a commercial crop for herbal medicine companies.

But Echinacea purpurea ‘Lustre Hybrids’ have been especially bred as outstanding new garden cultivars, for exceptionally lovely colours in large, frilled flowers.

And a pet Hedgehog

The botanical name for Echinacea comes from the Greek for prickly Hedgehog. Of course this refers to the decorative cones. But don’t worry – the cones are not prickly and just irresistible to pat.

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