Growing Bravado Echinacea Garden Seeds

Bravado echinacea seeds can be sown directly after the frost but, for earliest spring blooming, begin indoors 6-8 weeks prior. Echinacea seeds will germinate between 7-21 days with full light and harden off if transplanting outside or to an indoor planter with full sun. Plant 2-3 Bravado echinacea seeds ¼" deep and 24" apart in average, loamy, and well-drained soil in full sun. Bravado echinacea is an adaptable plant known to be tolerant of drought, heat, humidity, and poor soils. Do not overwater echinacea since plants are occasionally susceptible to leaf spots caused by bacteria and fungi in over-saturated soil. Echinacea is lightly susceptible to yellow asters disease. Known to bloom continuously without need to deadhead. Bravado echinacea has no serious pests but monitor regularly for Japanese beetles. Bravado seeds mature in 70-84 days as 36-48" tall bushy shrubs with an 18-24" wide spread of well-branched 3-4" soft rosy pink "daisy-like" coneflowers.

Echinacea purpurea is native to the Ozark Mountain region and found all throughout the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Native Americans were the first to use echinacea to treat burns, wounds, toothaches, and several other internal applications. Presently, echinacea is most commonly brewed as a tea to treat cold symptoms and synthesized echinacea is widespread in the pharmaceutical industry to bolster weak immune systems. The genus Echinacea is translated from the Greek word echinos meaning "hedgehog" or "sea-urchin" in reference to the spiny cone on many flowers in the genus.