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Why Grow Yellow Echinacea?
Yellow echinacea offers gardeners the opportunity to grow a beautiful and increasingly rare native medicinal plant while supporting pollinators and biodiversity. Unlike the more commonly grown purple echinacea, this species features unique golden blooms and thrives in meadow, prairie, and naturalistic garden settings. Growing echinacea from seed helps reduce pressure on wild populations and supports responsible stewardship of this important medicinal plant.
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PLANT DETAILS
Common Names
Yellow Echinacea, Yellow Coneflower, Ozark Coneflower
Botanical Name
Echinacea paradoxa
Plant Family
Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Native Range
Central US
Life Cycle
Perennial
Hardiness Zone
3-10
Habit
Clump-forming herbaceous perennial reaching approximately 3.5–4 feet tall. Showy gold-yellow flowers with elongated petals that droop downward bloom throughout summer. Basal leaves are long, slender, and a glossy mid-green. Highly attractive to a variety of pollinators.
Sun & Soil Requirements
Echinacea enjoys the dappled shade found in meadows and prairies. In the garden it does well in most soils, and will be quite drought tolerant once established.
Germination & Sowing Instructions
Seeds germinate readily when started indoors in flats in spring and transplanted outdoors once seedlings are established and soil has warmed. Maintain even moisture during early growth.
Growing & Care
Low maintenance once established. Provide regular watering during extended dry periods, especially in the first year. Plants can be cut back to the ground in fall after flowering has finished.
Harvesting
Both the flower heads and the roots are medicinally valuable. The flowers can be collected as they open during the summer months. The root is best harvested after the second or third year in the fall.
Many of the Echinacea species have become threatened from over-harvesting in the wild, as such it is best to grow this herb yourself or source it from farms rather than from the wild.
Culinary Uses
None known.
Medicinal Uses
Echinacea is one of the most effective detoxifying herbs available in the Western materia medica. It was used primarily for the purpose of detoxifying the blood and lymph long before it became popular as an immune system booster.
Echinacea acts as a herbal antibiotic both internally and topically. It strengthens the immune system making it more effective against infection. It is especially useful for infections of the upper respiratory tract, such as from cold and flu. It is also a good remedy for toothaches, and can be used as a mouthwash to reduce bacterial build up and encourage healthy tissue growth.
The flowers, seeds, or roots, when chewed cause a mouth tingling sensation similar to that of Spilanthes (Acmela oleracea).
Themes
Apothecary Garden, Low Maintenance, Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flowers, Container Garden, Woodland Garden.