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Saturday - October 10, 2009

From: Burnet, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Gathering Purple Coneflower seeds in Burnet TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have grown some Purple Coneflower and now am trying to save the seeds to plant next spring. I have a bucket full of dried tops and I know there is a lot of seeds. Is there an easy way to separate the cache from seeds and then store seeds till spring???

ANSWER:

We don't know about an easy way, but here are the Propagation Instructions for Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower) from our Native Plant Database:

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Seeds may be sown outside in late fall or stored, stratified and sown in the spring. Plants can be multiplied by making root divisions in early spring however division seems to stimulate the development of too many stems and too few flowers.
Seed Collection: Collect mature seedheads in the fall and break them open to extract seeds.
Seed Treatment: Cold-moist stratification for two months improves germination.

From our Native Plant Image Gallery:

Echinacea purpurea