This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

coneflower from seed

 Be patient. From experience I can tell you that seeds will take some time to germinate sometimes. The most common mistake made by gardeners growing by seed is that they don't wait long enough for seeds to germinate. A species like Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)-hopefully this is the plant you are talking about-can sometimes be variable in length of time it takes to germinate.
I have been growing plants from seed all my life and I am a regular propogator (I own a small plant nursery) and I still make the mistake of being impatient. Last late summer I sowed some seed of Widdringtonia schwartzii, a conifer from S. Africa. I gave up in November thinking nothing was going to happen and even reused some of the pots for potting up some 4 " plants. Wouldn't you know this past month I noticed five plants (one growing with the 4" plant I potted up) of Widdrintonia coming up. This reinforced a lesson I am relearning over and over again: wait dammit! Did you know that sometimes a Manzanita (Archtostophyllos spp) can take up to two years to germinate? This is frustrating for us growers that have to budget our time and space. 
As far as coneflower is concerned you won't have to wait two years, but be patient. You may also look at your growing conditions: are seeds sown in a warm sunny area?  Where are you at? I am in Tucson and the climate is different here. We plant coneflower seeds in the fall (protecting seeds from frosts) but if you live in a cold winter area you may be having to wait till spring to sow seeds. 

Jared R. Shortman
jared@libcong.com
orders to: tucgrow@earthlink.net
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index