Echinacea purpurea

Contrary to popular opinion, Echinacea need stratification so I recomend to sow your seeds in the late Autumn or early spring, to allow for them to get a decent chill time. I sow mine direct where I want them to grow as I lve in a warm zone but in frosty areas I recommend using seedling trays. Space them about 12 inches apart, in full sun locations. Echinacea is drought hardy once established

The roots and foliage are used from the Echinacea plant. The foliae is  most often used for herbal teas to boost your immune system while the roots are more intense and give a stronger dose. Allow your plants to grow for a full season before harvesting the leaves and stem, this will give the plant the ability to focus on growth and root developement.  To harvest, cut the stem above the lowest pair of leaves. Strip the leaves and the flower buds from the stem and lay them somewhere cool and airy to dry. This can be done anytime during the growing season. To harvest the roots of a 2-3-year-old plant in the spring , using a garden fork, lift the roots out of the ground around the Echinacea plant.  Now you can take pieces of the root from the root ball to harvest /and or divide or you can remove the whole plant to harvest the roots. Place the remaining roots back in the ground to replant and water them in with tithonia infused water to help it settle in. 

1/2  tspoon