kqcrna said:Here's what Clothier says
Echinacea pallida, and purpurea , Sow at 20ºC (68ºF), if no germination in 3-4 wks, move to -4 to +4ºC (24-39ºF) for 2-4 wks

Echinacea angustifolia, paradoxa, and tennesseensis , Sow at 18-22ºC (64-71ºF) for 2-4 wks, move to 4ºC (40ºF) for 9 wks, move to 10ºC (50ºF) for germination

You might want to pose your question on the seed forum.

Karen

Thanks Karen. I did go to Clothier (great site).
I'll check out the seed forum too.

I have grown most of my Ech from seeds that I started inside . I use a home made rack with 4 Flo
bulbs on each level. I did not start any seeds this year due to moving. But, I have had
great sucess with doing it this way for all my baby plants. Echinacea's I have grown are White
Swan,Magnus,Double Dopular,Pow Wow Berry,Green Envy, and a solid green one I always forget
that name

This way I can afford alot of Ech. most seeds if started early will bloom first year,But the double
takes two seasons to get the double blooms

I started all 3 varieties of the echinaceas inside today so we shall see what develops.

Good luck, I hope they work for you.

Karen

I have had great luck with White Swan, Magnus, Meringue and Milkshake. Last year, I planted Pow Wow Wild Berry, Pow Wow White, Hot Papaya, and another one - the name escapes me right now on that one.

I love the echies - they have a long blooming period, the butterflies love them as well as the birds in the fall.

Sheryl, I get some weird flowers on my Doppelganger, too. Some get the cute "hat" on top


Some just throw off a weird petal or two on top

One with a weird petal on top


Some are fully double


Re: first year blooms: I've read that echs should not be allowed to flower in the first year. This forces the plant to put more energy into forming roots and makes for a healthier plant.

Karen

Could that green one be Green Jewel?

Doppelganger reminds me of Double Decker. Are they related?

I think they're one and the same, Julia, just sold under different names by different companies. They look the same, anyway. But mine came from commercial seed named "Doppelganger" and I wintersowed them.

Karen

I like the Double Decker - this is the first I have seen a picture, other than a catalogue. How tall do they get?

I have a lot of purple coneflowers, and since some of the Doppelgangers just look like regular coneflowers I've lost track of which is which. But some are 4 feet tall, at least, and need staked.

Karen

Wow! I didn't know they got that tall. My Magnus gets tall like that though.

Good to know that the two are similar. I'm hoping Double Decker will actually bloom with the second deck.

Hmm I thought that cone seeds didn't bloom true like the parent. They do?

So far, the Double Decker seeds sprout 2 seedlings out of the 9 I planted.
Nothing yet from the others.

Double Decker takes two years to double up. (I hope I'm not repeating myself, lol.)

If I remember correctly, Doppleganger was a forerunner of DD.

Teresa, it totally depends on which cultivar it is. Some are fine.

I'm telling you guys, I'm thinking a little afternoon shade might be the answer to keeping these babies blooming...

JuliaNY said:I grow only the purple (magnus) and a white (white swan) variety. The white ones died back and were mia for several years and last year they seem to have reemerged in just a couple of spots.
Any suggestions? I am in a zone 5/6.

Yanno -- weird thing about white swan.. i know exactly where it is in my garden, and when i looked at it last year, it was pinkish-purple.

is that possible, that it can literally change color.

The echinacea do not come true from seed, so when you have the seedlings pop up or if you sow the seeds you gather, you really don't know what you will get. Sometimes will surprise you.
I have heard good things about Ticki Torch but I don't have one. Also the echinacea need excellent drainage and lots of sun or they will get leggy and probably will not make it through the winter. I read that you should not let them bloom late so they can get stronger for winter, evidently blooming takes a lot of energy. Sure enough the liners and new plants I got last year, the ones that bloomed are the ones that died, first year plants I am talking about, ok?
The ones that made it through the winter are Sundown, Powwow Berry, Secret Joy, Secret Passion and Secret Daydream, the secrets series these did not bloom because I got these liners in October or something. They lived and the Amazing Dream which had a beautiful pink bloom, died. I have winter-sown paradoxa, and a few others.
Also have heard good things about Summerfun, Hot Papaya, Pink double delight.
The ones that died, was Sunrise, Red Knee High, Powwow white, Tangerine dream, and I already mentioned the Amazing Dream. So that's about it.

Susan -- I purchased White Swan.

I will try to keep an eye on it this year, i have found where it is -- and it has new growth already... all my coneflowers are up. except Mac-N-Cheese, which i grew from seed last year -- so far, it did not survive the winter.
the sunrise i grew [WD'ed from seed last year] grew, then fizzled and died.