Echinacea wilt?

I managed to get hold of 3 Tikki Torch Echinacea. They are in 2 litre pots, quite tall and have flowerheads. I was going to plant them in their permanent position this weekend, but all of a sudden the heads have wilted very badly. In fact on some the stems have bent almost in half. Any ideas please?

 

Hi Denise.

I was going to say it could be lack of water. Echinacea purpurea are always quoted as being drought resistant. But mine, which are in the border hang their heads quite regularly if they don't get enough water. But they haven't done that so far this year for me. They always recover after a drink.

But having said that I had a Google and found this http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg0707365818074.html it seems that this may be a Tikki Torch problem. My understanding is that the orange hybrids are not as robust as the normal E. purpurea.

 

Hello Peter

Having just purchased a new Echinacea 'Tomato Soup' am now concerned since it is somehat Orange in colour (almost tomato red even) - will keep an eye on it......

 

Barnaby - that variety looks stunning - I would be interested to hear how the new varieties do. For a long time there was only a small number of cultivars, but they were all of the purple one Echinacea purpurea and frankly they all look the same. But suddenly there are numerous new cultivars with various shades of yellow added to the purple.

 

Hi Armandii.

I am glad you too have had the same experience. I have never understood this drought resistence idea, mine were always one of the first to wilt for lack of water. Perhaps they mean that they will not die from a lack of water, albeit looking quite pathetic.

I have seen it pointed out a number of times that many books just copy from each other, and consequently perpetuate myths. Some time ago I read in a number of books that the way to propagate Cirsium rivulare was by seed. At a big flower show, I asked the people on a stand why I never saw any seed advertised. They, and the people on the next stand all fell about laughing. They then explained the Cirsium rivulare was sterile and couldn't produce seed, but they were all aware of the literature that said propagate by seed.

 

Interesting....i thonk lots of 'drought' resistant plants are first to show signs of sufferin g in droughts......but as you say peter I think it means will not die....perhaps switching off the flowers and allowing them to wilt...even loosing a few leaves is a protection thing....so not good for the gardener but at least the plant survives. A similar example is Cystus, in the garden centre it was always the fist to suffer on a hot day.....somedays we could funk them in water.....by the afternoon the pots were light as feather....here I think part of cystus's drought resistance is to quickly find and use any available water...making it really drought resistant in the 'wild' but the complete opposite in a pot.

 

We grow Echinaceas on sandy soil and (touch wood), we have never seen the Echinacea 'wilt'
which you speak of. Am now waiting with baited breath to see new shoot on my
'Tomato Soup' variety which I planted at the end of last summer (fingers crossed)........

 

I bought my plant at great expense from a garden which we visited last year with the local Gardening Club. It does look very good nd the colour is very strong but no sign of new growth as yet.

Am sure you will be able to find it on the net Armandii.......