Echinacea – Summersong™ Firefinch™
Features
This incredibly colorful coneflower is a mixed strain showcasing shades of red flowers, including reddish-orange and pinkish red. A shorter plant that’s perfect for small spaces.
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies
Resists: Deer
Drought Tolerant
Fragrant Flower
Long Blooming
Native to North America
Maintenance Notes
Grow in sunny and hot locations with well-drained soils. Tolerates light shade, but best performance is in full sun. Drought tolerant once established.
Needs Good Drainage
Uses Notes
This plant has had a recent name change to better reflect the plants color.
Maintenance Category Easy
Water Category Average
Bloom Time
Flower Form Border Plant, Container, Cut Flower, Dried Flower, Landscape, Mass Planting
Soil Fertility Average Soil, Fertile Soil, Poor Soil
pH B - pH 5.8 - 6.2
EC (2:1 Extraction Method) 0.6 - 0.9
Fertilization 75 - 100
Light Requirements High
Water Requirements Moderate to Moist
Rooting Out Temperature 65 - 72° Fahrenheit
Growing On Temperature 55 - 72° Fahrenheit
Planting and Timing Information
Primarily Late Spring through Summer Finish, however, they can be finished for Fall with early Summer planting. Standard PPP.
Finishing Times [weeks]
4-5" and Quart Pot : 8-10
6" and Gallon Pot : 10-12
7-9" Pot :
10-12" and Two Gallon Pot :
Pinching and Growth Regulators
None needed for most varieties. B-nine/Cycocel tank mix at 2500/1000 ppm or Sumagic at 5 ppm will help keep leaf internodes shorter in Big Sky varieties. Applications of Configure at 150-300 ppm is effective at increasing branching during the bulking stage.
Pest and Disease Management
General pest and disease practices as listed in notes. Aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites and whiteflies can be problematic. Aster yellows (usually only problematic when leafhoppers aren't controlled), fungal leaf spots, fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, and root rots (Pythium and Rhizoctonia).
'Little Annie' is naturally compact and freely branching and should not need either chemical application.
Grower Tips
Echinacea does not tolerate wet soil, do not allow to stay wet for long periods of time.
Provide 24 hour lighting to bulk up plants, if necessary. It is best to bulk plants until 3 to 4 shoots are present for the highest quality plants.
Provide long days, 13 to 16 hours a day, for flower production. Night interruption lighting is also effective.
Once established use cool temperatures to keep compact. Echinacea is a long day plant and will not flower until the day length is correct.
The primary benefit of vernalization in Echinacea is that the plants will bloom faster.
