Tag: cone flower

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Insects – The Sunflower Moth

Sunflower Moth

About the Sunflower Moth

For those that love Sunflowers be on the look out for this pesky insect! It’s a small white sandy colored moth in the genus Homoeosoma.  There are two types, the American Sunflower moth (Homoeosoma electellum) and the Eurasian sunflower moth (Homoeosoma nebulella).   They show up in May to August time frame (depending on your region) and are most prevalent in the twilight hours, (figures it would be right when we all love to be in the garden) where the female lays their eggs on the sunflower head.   

The spawn of this devil will hatch in about a week’s time and burrow themselves down into the the seed head and attempt to eat to their heart’s content with no concern what so ever to your precious plants (how rude!).    To make matters worse this pest can also effect your Marigolds and your Echinacea  as you can see from the picture below where some of my own were impacted.   Signs of damage appears as a rotted area right in the middle of your flowers.   If you pull the seed head apart you will most often find the worms, (I’ll add a pic of that).

Flowers suffering from moth damage

Tips to Avoid and Treat

Like so many of the insects we deal with in our gardens there are a few natural enemies of the sunflower moth.

  • Wasps will attack the larvae as well as eat the eggs of the moth reducing its impact.
  • Ground beetles can attack the overwintering pupae and pirate bugs will also feed on them.
  • Insecticidal soap as well as dawn dish soap (1 1/2 tsp per quart) mixed with water and sprayed on the plant’s seed head can be used.
  • Organic insecticides such as BT and Neem can be used.
  • I personally have had good luck using Neem Oil (the 100% organic cold pressed kind that you mix yourself) to detour them.   Simply spray the seed heads while spraying the rest of the garden.
  • Tilling your soil well for winter as well as again in spring and using nematodes is a good practice. This helps remove any overwintering little critters, (get them while they sleep!)

There are also several synthetic sprays that can be used. However its best for our bees to try the natural methods first as there are so many organic options available to control this pesky insect.     If you find them on your plant cut and remove the flowers impacted and do not compost!

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Echinacea-Growing Coneflowers

Beautiful echinacea flowers in full bloom

About Echinacea

One of the coolest flowers! There is just something special about this beautiful perennial that shows up in spring on long stems with petals of pink or yellow surrounding a bright orange spiky center. My  opinion is not singular either!  Anyone “asking Google” will find an intriguing history surrounding this herbaceous plant; and, as you can see from the photo it’s loved by bees and birds alike.  So if you’re looking for a pollinating powerhouse or a way to feed those birds you long to bring to you’re yard or gardens echinacea is the plant for you!

Echinacea, also known as cone flower, pink sunflower, hedgehog and several other common names,  originates from eastern and central North America growing wild in prairies and wooded areas.  It is known for its pink flowers; however, you can also find them in yellow, white and several new hybrid colors ranging from red to burgundy and even green.

How to Grow

One of the neat things about echinacea is that it is a perennial so it can be divided and grown from existing roots (should be at least three before doing this) and also grown from its seeds like annuals.  It is not an argumentative plant and will accommodate most soils but does prefer rich well drained soil and full sun defined as six hours per day.

If planting from seed, echinacea produces its best flowers after a winter sleep.  This means they need stratification  and should be planted in the fall to naturally  take advantage of the cold wet conditions needed for the best germination.  If your in an area that does not allow natural stratification, or are attempting to seed in spring:

  • Soak the seeds in water for a few hours
  • Plant them in small seed starting pots and close them in a sealable bag
  • Place the bag in the refrigerator up to 10 days checking regularly to ensure they have retained moisture.
  • Once sprouted you can remove them from the refrigerator and move them to the place you wish to plant them.
  • If it is late in the summer season, keep your seedlings in an area that is slightly shaded for a few days to acclimate them to the new temperatures gradually moving them over a few days time.

Tips:

These beauties do love full sun however in extremely hot climates with high temperatures for long periods of time they will burn and wilt.  To avoid this know your areas and if you’re in one of our hot southern states choose a location that offers them shade in the hotter hours of the day.

Echinacea is a perennial so like many others it can start to look ratty after the blooms of spring.  To extend its life some cut some of the flowers for arrangements as it grows promoting new growth.

If you’re leaving the flowers on to dry for birds or seed propagation cut the stems back to the base as soon as they have dried.   This will enable a new surge of flowers for the fall.

Characteristics:

  • Height:  12 to 36 inches tall
  • Width:  12 to 24 inches
  • Zone:  3 to 8; can be grown in zones 9 and 10 however should be treated as an annual using stratification to ensure proper germination each season.
  • Maturity: 90-120 days

Common Names

  • American Coneflower
  • Coneflower
  • Pink Sun Flower
  • Pale Coneflower
  • Purple Coneflower
  • Echinacea Angustifolia
  • Hedgehog
  • Indian Head
  • Kansas Snakeroot
  • Narrow-Leaved Purple Cone Flower

Also See!

Medicinal uses of Echinacea (Coming Soon)
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