Echinacea After Midnight - Purpurea and Paradoxa Hybrid Details for Gardeners

The Echinacea After Midnight flower is popular among horticulturalists. This hybrid is a cross of the purpurea and paradoxa varieties.

The pink flowers have the hedgehog appearance that gave rise to the plant’s name. Echino in Greek indicates that something is spiny or prickly, like a sea urchin or hedgehog.

The mature plant is 12 to 18 inches high. It needs sun and thrives in the spring and summer. Some species are cultivated specifically because the root has medicinal value.

If you don’t like watering your garden every day or have time constraints that prevent you from doing so, this may be just what you’ve been looking for. It tolerates drought well and the flowers are big and showy.
Humans aren’t the only ones who appreciate Echinacea After Midnight. It attracts wildlife with its color and scent. Seeds for this cultivar are available from suppliers who will mail packets directly to you, along with instructions for growing them.

Always plant the seedlings at least 8 inches apart. When the clumps get really large, you should divide them. This should be done to the purpurea and paradoxa hybrid every 4 years.

Growing Echinacea Angustifolia from Seeds

These tips on growing Echinacea angustifolia from seeds should help avid gardeners to produce beautiful plants. If you recently obtained these seeds from a friend or purchased them at a home and garden store, you can look forward to beautiful flowers in a while.

You will need to put the seeds through a stratification period of up to six weeks. If they are kept in dry areas for a long period of time and are not subjected to cold conditions, they may not germinate properly. Echinacea angustifolia is one of the varieties that is also grown for its medicinal benefits.

Most varieties of Echinacea germinate well if they are tricked into going through the changes that they would experience if they had gone through winter. After they have been chilled for the required period you can sow them.

A farm store or a home and garden store will have several brands of commercial potting mix. Choose the one that best suits your needs and sow the angustifolia seeds on the surface. They may germinate in as little as 10 days but some take as long as a month. Be patient and when they sprout, cover them with a light layer of fine potting mix.