I know I bought a double decker but for nearly 3 years now, it still hasn't produced a double bloom for me. this year is it's test run. if it doesn't produce, it's a gonner.

I grew Double Decker from seed with success. It had the double flowers in the third year. I also have Double Pink Delight, Meringue, Green Envy, Virgin, Sundown, and White Swan.I have not had any luck with germination of Double Pink Delight or Meringue seeds. The White Swan did come true from seed and Virgin will flower hopefully this year and I will know if it is true. The others are new and I am wintersowing them this year. I read somewhere that the doubles like Double Pink Delight etc... have sterile seeds.
Wendy

Hi Bev,
Grew E. purpurea 'doppelganger' and as Wendy said it took three years to bloom. When there's a group of them they are so cute with their little second stories or hats. Definitely worth waiting for. I also grew E. 'sunrise' and it looks like it came true. All seeds from exchanges.

Hi Bev,

I've done zillions of Echinaceas - or so it seems. :O)

If you purchase seeds you will get what is on the packet, but if you get a trade from a cross pollinating garden, then you are taking your chances. I have done the Double Decker from a purchased seed packet and they did come true but took about three years to show-off the petal top.

Last year I traded for a lot of Echs. Many were named and this year I will see what comes of them. Sometimes you get quite the surprise. A friend of mine got seeds of Echinacea Sunset and out of 20 seeds only 5 formed plants which were good and strong. Out of those five, two were stunning with peachy coloured petals and the other three had a purple hue in the colouring.

A few of my trades from two years ago flowered last year and one had pastel lilac petals with subtle white streaks. It was a beauty and we will see if it returns as such in it's second year.

I tried to get seeds from a Double Delight which I bought but there was no seed as the plant matured. Just dust. Might be what happened to you. Maybe the trader didn't know what the Ech seed should look like?

I see another gardening adventure in the making if you decide to plant some of these beauties this coming year! :O)

I'd love to try the new-ish "Sunset" variety with the orange petals. I think it might be a new or protected variety that isn't available as seed yet. Has anyone had experience growing the orange-flowered echinaceas from seed?

- Bev