Echinacea (also known as Purple Coneflower) is a hardy flowering perennial herb plant that you can enjoy in your yard or herb garden for many years. It is a tall plant, growing to approximately 3 feet high.
Echinacea’s root is an anti-microbial and alterative. It is regarded as a tonic for the immune system and a blood cleanser. It is a popular remedy for helping the body heal from bacterial and viral attacks (colds). It is particularly known for its use in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. A tincture or decoction is sometimes used as a mouthwash in the treatment of gingivitis. It also can be used externally to avoid infection in wounds.
Echinacea will grow well in ordinary garden soil and in most climates. For best results when planting echinacea, the soil pH needs to be between 5.0 and 7.5. (Learn about testing your garden soil’s pH level.)
Plant echinacea in either the spring or the fall. When purple coneflower (Echinacea) matures, it produces shoots that can be detached and planted to grow on their own. Propagation for these types of plants is commonly called division, and is one of the simplest methods of propagation. Simply put, you take a large clump of a plant and break it up into smaller plants. The most vigorous plants will be on the outside of the clump. The plant that is on the inside is the old plant.
Propagate by lifting a large mature plant from the ground, being careful to leave as much of the root ball intact as possible. Then separate the plant into several rooted pieces (pieces with plant and root attached). To separate, set the clump on the ground. Take two garden forks and place them back to back in the clump. Gently pry them away from each other, thus separating the plant. This is the preferred method, as it’s more gentle on the plant and roots. However, it won’t always work. When it doesn’t work, you can separate the sections by cutting them apart with a spade.
* Gardening Tips for Planting Echinacea * It is advisable to periodically divide your Echinacea plants (every several years) to keep the patch healthy and growing strongly.
The other option is to grow them from seed, which takes a bit longer. If you plant the seeds in your garden under a cold frame, you won’t see flowers until next year’s gardening season.
To collect the herb, unearth the roots in the autumn.
Note: The fresh root is reported to be more potent than the dried root.
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