Echinacea
3-5' tall. Echinos means ‘spiny’ and coneflower’s spiny seedheads are beautiful surrounded by a single row of reflexed petals. Wonderful late summer blooms attract butterflies and bees and make good cutflowers; dew collects in the spiral mandala coneheads.
Possibly the best-known of the medicinal herbs, widely used as an immune-system stimulant. At least 14 native North American nations used Echinacea for similar purposes: sore throat, toothache, infection, wounds, snake bite and skin disorders. Medicinal benefits vary among the different species. E. purpurea and angustifolia are considered the standard for making medicinal tincture. E. paradoxa shares some of the immune-stimulating compounds as purpurea but in our opinion is best planted for the birds and the bees as a complement to your purpurea patch.
Growing Echinacea
Tolerates wind, heat and drought once established. Will reseed. Plant 20–30" apart in full sun and light sandy soil.
- From seed: Start indoors at 70–75°, germinates in 15–20 days. Grow on at 60–65°. Set out 18–24" apart.
- Bare root plants: Plant 20–30" apart.
Herbaceous Perennial Plants
When you receive your order, open the bags and check the stock immediately. Roots and crowns should be firm and pliable. Surface mold is harmless and will not affect the plant’s future performance. Store plants in their packaging in a cool (35–40°) location until you are ready to plant. If it’s going to be awhile, you can pot up your perennials.
Do not plant bare-root perennial plant crowns directly outdoors before danger of frost has passed. Wet and/or cold conditions for an extended period may cause rotting.
For more info:
About planting bare-root perennials
Medicinal and Culinary Herbs
These plants have long histories of traditional culinary and medicinal uses. It’s up to you to educate yourself about the safety and efficacy of using plants for medicinal purposes. The statements in our catalog and website regarding traditional medicinal uses of plants have not been evaluated by the FDA. The plants we sell are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Plants may take a year or more to establish before they flower; roots often take several years to reach harvestable maturity.
Herbs
See Herb Chart for uses and cultural information.
About medicinal herbs: Archeological evidence dates the medicinal use of herbs back 60,000 years to the Neanderthals. 85% of the world’s population employ herbs as medicines, and 40% of pharmaceuticals in the U.S. contain plant-derived materials. Fewer than 10% of higher plant species have been investigated for their medicinal components. Interest in traditional herbal remedies continues to grow.
Statements about medicinal use of plants have not been evaluated by the FDA, and should not be used for the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any ailment. Before using or ingesting any medicinal plant, consult a healthcare practitioner familiar with botanical medicine.
Takinagawa Burdock and Resina Calendula, as well as oats, mammoth red clover and alfalfa in the Farm Seed section, also have medicinal uses. Medicinal herbs such as black cohosh, licorice, and many more are available as plants, and shipped in the spring with orders from our perennial plants warehouse.
Culture: Some herbs are customarily grown from divisions because they cannot come true from seed, such as scented thymes and flavored mints. Some require fall sowing of fresh seed, such as sweet cicely and angelica.
Using herbs: Drying herbs at home is not difficult. Whole leaves retain their flavor at least a year. To substitute fresh herbs for dried in cooking, use triple the dried quantity called for in a recipe.
