Echibeckia Summerina

februarysgirl · March 2022

I bought Echibeckia Summerina Brown from Sarah Raven in 2020 and really loved the flowers. I didn't have anywhere to put it in my raised beds so left it in its pot and it got a bit neglected. Unexpectedly, when I started on my spring clean up/switch around last year, there was some new growth and because of things I was getting rid of, I was able to put it in my raised beds where it flowered prolifically. So far this year I haven't seen any signs of new growth (although it's still 10 days until I start this years spring clean up/switch around) and I was hoping to divide it because it grew quite a bit and OH's mum really loved the flowers. I was wondering whether because it's a hybrid it's more of a short lived perennial.

Does anyone have some echibeckia experience they can share?

Fairygirl · March 2022

I've never heard of these. Are they something crossed with Rudbeckias?
If so, it's possibly a short lived perennial. Many Rudbeckias aren't fully hardy anyway.

GardenerSuze · March 2022

They are a short lived perennial. My Echinacea Pallida is just shooting if that is any help. Guess it is best to wait or check the roots.

februarysgirl · March 2022

@Fairygirl It's an echinacha/rudbeckia hybrid. It's hardy down to -5 (allegedly) and so far we've had very little weather that cold here. Annoyingly they're sterile so the seeds are useless and I can't haven't been able to find anywhere else that sells them 🙁

@GardenerSuze I'll keep my fingers crossed. What should I be looking for as far as the roots are concerned?

Fairygirl · March 2022

Ah - I couldn't think what they would be crossed with.

If it's now in a border, you might just have to wait and see if anything comes through. It will depend on your climate as much as anything, and when in a pot, it can be drier than directly in soil etc. A sheltered spot makes a difference too, so if the pot was more sheltered that will have helped. A raised bed will generally be better drained, but it also depends on the soil. A lot of variables.
It isn't always just the odd frost that's a problem. Dry cold is always easier than wet cold for these kinds of plants anyway. A week of light frosts - minus 1 or 2, can do a lot more harm than one slightly colder one.
Freezing after wet is the worst though, and that's what we often battle with here which is why many plants just don't survive winters.

GardenerSuze · March 2022

Slight misunderstanding on my part thought it was still in the pot. Obviously if the roots look whitish it is probably fine. If not I guess it is possible that Sarah Raven may have them later in the year?

februarysgirl · March 2022

@Fairygirl The soil is just Wickes multi-purpose top soil with a small amount of native. Their description just says graded and lime free so not wildly detailed and I have no idea about the native soil. Pre raised beds everything grew well in it once I learned about light requirements! The pot was sat on top of the raised beds so very exposed to the elements which is why I assumed it had had it. I'm really hoping it'll surprise me again this year.

@GardenerSuze If it doesn't grow back I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed Sarah Raven will have it again. It was clearance when I bought it so don't feel massively confident.

Fairygirl · March 2022

It's often worth taking cuttings with new plants @februarysgirl , if there aren't enough accurate details about conditions and hardiness etc.
It's more about drainage over winter than anything. In the ground - whether a raised bed or anything else, can be wetter than in pots. If the soil's water retentive, it may have suffered a bit.
I'm not sure you can do anything other than wait and see.
Rudbeckias and Echinaceas do best on really light, well drained soil, in sun, so I'd expect that plant to be the same. I have one bed where I put that type of plant, but it's raised, and the soil mix was specifically created with drainage in mind. Loads of lightweight compost added, as we're on heavy clay. It's the sunniest part of the site, and is also against the house wall. That helps to mitigate all the conditions here.
It's worth amending the soil as much as you can if you want to try it again in the ground.

februarysgirl · March 2022

The original top soil I put in had lots of tiny pieces of what looked like terracotta which I assumed was for drainage. The top up I put in last year seemed to contain organic matter instead, I'm curious to see what will be in this years batch 😂 I'm hoping to have a delivery on the Monday after next when Wickes start releasing deliveries for that day which, fingers crossed, should be tomorrow. It's definitely a wait and see game 🙂

Fairygirl · March 2022

The best way to improve drainage on heavy soil is rotted manure. You can buy it bagged. Grit or gravel can help, but it's a very expensive way of doing it even in a small bed or border. Home made compost is good too, as it helps the condition of the soil, but doesn't add excess nutrients.
If plants don't need richer soil, manure can be a bit of a problem short term, but isn't usually totally detrimental to the plants. They just grow a bit more

februarysgirl · March 2022

Everything (including the Echibeckia which doubled in size) has grown really well in that soil so I'm not looking to make any changes to it. Some things, like the Heleniums and Achilleas, have grown a little too well (gone bonkers), the last thing I want to do is give them more encouragement 😂 I'll be dividing them when I do my spring clean up but if they grow as much as they did last year, I'll be in the same position this time next year! That being said, I'm going to give the Chelsea chop a go to see if I can reign them in a bit. The only thing I'm looking to add is farmyard manure (already got a couple of bags) to the roses and chicken manure to the plums/greengage. Was really impressed with how well the chicken manure worked last year.

When I first filled the beds I added some of my mum's ashes to the soil and as she loved gardening, I like to think that she added that touch which has made everything grow so well 😊 As far as the Echibeckia is concerned, it might be a live and learn thing. I bought it as a 2l pot so if it is a short lived perennial, it may not have had a lot of life left in it anyway. If I buy any large pots of short lived perennials again I'll definitely be dividing when I get them just to hedge my bets!

Echibeckia Summerina

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