Raising Coneflowers

Raising a Coneflowers is a lot of work… you plant a seed and up pops these little plants, but it doesn’t actually start blooming till the second year.  So you repot your little seedling into a bigger pot, water it, lug it inside and out to hardy it up for it’s first year, then overwinter it in a green house, then second year finally arrives,  hardy it up again…. and finally after the second year plant it in the ground.  Then the hoards of slugs line up to dine on you newly planted Coneflower…. Like convicts lining up for lunch.  Then finally you figure out you need a moat of gravel three feet wide around you little plant and maybe a band of copper tubing to thin out the diners.

After all that you little plant recuperates and puts out this gorgeous bloom (1) and it’s fall …. then a (deer, chipmunk or squirrel)  miscreant yet to be apprehended… thinks Oh what a tasty treat…and it is raz-wars down to the last few leaves your little plant, flower and all.  Forget leaving seed heads for the birds… I’m selling cut flowers.