Thanks guys, it's just that I ache to get a Echinacea to last beyond the year and would like to find the secret to success. I believe they like moisture retentive soil and while my garden soil has been much improved over the years it's still light and drains quickly. I'll try your suggested method, Verdun, next year as an experiment and tell you how I get on.
Yes, I found that do like moisture. Being prairie plants I thought they needed poor parched soils but now I realise they send down their roots quite deep. In our gardens we need to give a good supply of water. A good mulch and feed in spring too. Armandii, I experiment all the time
Just so long as the neighbours don't mind, Verdun It's just that I used to believe the blurb about this or that plant being so easy to grow and propagate only to find it wasn't true with regard to my garden!!! So now I'm a bit more cynical when reading about the growing habits of plants. I will sow and grow Echinacea's next year, along with Monarda where I have to be careful with what variety to grow for plants of more than one Season.
So true. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that despite how long I've been trying to learn what I'm doing, its only really been this year that I've finally accepted that, while I wouldn't say the books are wrong, they are just based on some people's experiences, with different gardens in different locations with different microclimate and different soil conditions to mine. I was assured that the Coreopsis I grew from seed would need full sun above all else. I planted it in two groups of about 6, one group in the sunniest part but the soil is not great, the other group only gets a few hours of direct sun a day, at best, but is in good soil. The full sun group that I was expecting, based on the books, to the best, is actually struggling along. The other group has gone ballistic. Far better than I'd dared hope. The advice notes are useful, but should be taken as advice rather than gospel I reckon.
I think that instructions on seed packets don't change, or rarely do, so different companies have different views / instructions, and they've probably been like that since Dot. For anything out of the ordinary I Google (for germination I find Tom Clothiers site useful and its my first port of call, then B & T Seeds which often has variety-specific cultural details [but its buried in-with the species / genus info, which can sometimes be the exact reverse!]). I find the RHS Plant Selector site useful, but doesn't always have the variety. After than its always worth asking here, although there is significant risk of "ask 2 gardeners and get 3 opinions" !!
Thing is I like to try out "new varieties" with lots of different plants, I had a gold leaf silver birch that didnt last either nor have I seen it advertised since, Hosta fire & Ice fails with me but others romping away, trial and error but a lot of the time its the ££ as I get older I understand why the old faithfulls are still around today. Just thought that yellow flowered Geranium that got all the hype what a looser total waste of time and ££ again! , novelty plants I call them same with the fushia that climbs well it doesnt ! Spruce
Hiya spruce. I share your,cynicism about new varieties but.....I am always tempted! Hosta fire and ice was a problem for me too but now it's excellent. I grow it in the shade. It will not tolerate sun. The yellow geranium, I grow Ann folkard, is disappointing in that it's leaves dont keep their yellow leaves for long but it has lovely magenta flowers for a long time. The old varieties have proved their worth but dont think the new varieties aren't worth trying. I think many of them need a bit of understanding and experimentation because they are so far removed from the original plants. I'm growing the new anemone Wild Swan and it's far, far better than the old Japanese varieties. Blue on the back and pure white on compact, long-flowering plants
Verdun It wont stop me from trying though, Wild Swan sounds good do you have a suppliers name. Just so you know I cant grow oriental poppies either my last house which is about two miles away I had no problem, mostly clay but the soil conditions here is a very old river bed made up of silt etc , borders drain well as I dug them all out to 24 inches found 100's of river cobbles that hadnt seen the light of day most probably 100 of years ! I should of done the same with the lawn which acts a huge sponge but just to big a job and would just take all the fun and relaxation out of it. The new varieties do need trialling more I agree , I really like Astrantia Venice Spruce
best price Wild Swan , from the actual breeder in Scotland £7.50 everyone else its over £11.00 http://www.elizabethmacgregornursery.co.uk/shop/index.php?page=2
Hardys stock wild swan too. Astrantia Venice is more purple than the others I think but havent got it yet. I like my astrantias and have quite a few. Jumble Hole is a newish white one....looks like heads of jewels. Lovely. One of the stars at Chelsea. Roma is v good too.
Astrantia is not a plant you often see in peoples gardens unfortunately. I first saw some at Powys Castle many moons ago and started to collect the different varieties as they do seem to like my garden soil.
Armandii. They grow well for me too, ESP this year. A couple of them are still in flower. Superb next to blue salvias.
