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Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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Posted by
summerstar Z7VA (
My Page) on
Fri, May 18, 12 at 15:58
| I have the short red coneflower (Echinacea) called "Kim's Knee High". There are good sized seedlings growing nearby that must be from the seeds of the parents. Do you know if hybrid Echinacea seedlings like this one grow true to the parent? If they aren't little clones, I suppose I should pull them out. It sure would be great if they stay true. I'd save some $$$$ and replant them elsewhere. What's your experience? Maybe you grow this plant . . . Thanks much! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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| Hybrid seedlings are never the exact clones of the parent plant. Only asexual method of propagation (division in the case of Echinacea) will give you the exact copy of the parent. That being said, you can select plants that are very similar to your Echinacea when those seedling will bloom for you. Maybe, even better :) |
RE: Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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| My experience is that someone sent me some seeds from 'Kim's Knee High' in a trade. The plants from these seeds grew into the generic pink/purple echinacea, and they were definitely not knee high. But you could give them a little longer to see what happens, unless you need the space for something else. |
RE: Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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| Alina and others, is "asexual method of propagation" or division difficult? Or is this method simply dividing the parent plant itself? If the last is true, I've been doing this for years whenever a plant matures and needs to be "split" or divided. Secondly, I've divided cone flowers this spring and in spite of being careful digging them and watering well, they droop in the warm spring sun for weeks till they acclimate to the change. I've turned lawn chairs upside down to shelter them from the sun. Echinacea aren't particularly happy about being transplanted! I'm thinking fall might be a better time to divide and transplant them. What are your thoughts about the best time for division/transplanting? |
RE: Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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| Kim's Knee High is not a hybrid echinacea - just a lower growing cultivar of Echinacea purpurea. Any seeded offspring should be very similar to the parent plants at least in look if not in size. BTW, the mature size of KKH is typically given as a range of from 1-3'.....I guess it depends on where your knees hit in that range :-) |
RE: Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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| I would think this type should be similar.. but that is only if there aren't any other varieties near by to "mess" things up for you. You can always grow them out a bit and see what you get. |
RE: Red Coneflower Seedlings: True to Parent?
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| Thank you for the input on Kim's Knee High not being a hybrid, but a cultivar off Euchinacea purpurea, gardengal48. Very interesting. I'll let the seedlings grow and see how they turn out. Thanks to all who wrote back with your garden knowledge. I've been gardening for more than 20 years, but seldom leave this website without learning something useful. Happy summer gardening folks! |
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