How to Grow Inula Plants in your Garden
Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Inula, Elecampane, Horseheal
Inula is a large genus of hardy perennials.
They range in height from 30 cm to 2 m (1 to 7 feet), making them useful in garden borders.
Inula carry daisy like flowers in the summer.
Some common names for Inula are Elecampane and horseheal.
Inula hookeri by wlcutler.
Inula Growing and Care Guide
Common Names: Inula, Elecampane, British Yellowhead, Irish Fleabane, Marchalan, Horseheal.
Life Cycle: Hardy perennial.
Height: 10 to 96 inches (25 to 240 cm).
Native: Europe, Asia, Africa.
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 9.
Flower Details: Gold, yellow. Daisy-like ray and disc florets. Rays are thin and spidery.
Foliage: Herbaceous. Some species such as Inula magnifica have long leaves that can reach up to 36 inches (90 cm in length). Narrow. Toothed.
Sow Inside: Germination time: two weeks to two months. Temperature: 55 to 65°F (13 to 18°C). Six or seven weeks before expected last frost. Transplant outdoors following the last frost.
Miscellaneous: Some species, such as Inula Britannica are considered to be aggressive weeds in many areas. Elecampane is used to produce absinthe.
How to Grow Elecampane and other Inula Plants in the Garden
Seeds of Elecampane and other Inula species can be planted either at the beginning of autumn or before the last frost of spring.
Once sown, the seeds should be lightly covered with soil. Elecampane and other Inula like to grow in sunny areas of the garden that have good drainage, the soil type is not to important.
If you first plan to grow Elecampane seedlings indoors then they should be prepared about 7 or 8 weeks before the last frost of spring.
The seeds will take anything from two to six weeks to germinate at 12 to 18 degrees centigrade (54 to 64°F). Once ready the young Inula plants should be transplanted into the garden following the last frost of spring at a spacing of 20 cm (8 inches; small) to 60 cm (2 feet; large).
Caring for Inula Plants
To create more Inula plants they can be divided in the spring or autumn. It is easy to look after Inula, simply keep the soil moist and cut back the stems after flowering has finished in the autumn. It is necessary to dvide the plants every three years or so to maintain vigor.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Inula plants. You may also enjoy my gardening guides on how to grow Rochea, Nemesia plant, and Hacquetia plants.
If you enjoy the information on this site, then you'll love my book: The Gardener's HQ Plant Growing Guide. Available for Kindle (MOBI), iPad (ePub) and as a PDF.
Genus Index I
