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Echinacea (echinacea purpurea) is a highly effective and safe immune herb that helps to jump-start the immune response in the body.*
These crowns are in their 2nd and 3rd year.
Growing tips are below.
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These plants have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
Highly photogenic herb, a truly stunning flower in the middle of summer. Plant echinacea where you can see it!
Image above: Echinacea purpurea grown amongst other herbs at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea)
Medicinal uses*
Echinacea is a highly effective and safe immune herb that helps to jump-start the immune response in the body. It has been used successfully for hundreds of years to treat colds and flus and works well against both viral and bacterial infections.
Growing Conditions
Echinacea grows well in full sun and well-drained loamy soil. It needs to grow 2-3 years before a root harvest, therefore good bed preparation is essential. As with many perennial crops, echinacea responds well to ample fertility and can benefit from top dressing of compost twice a year. A consistent water supply increases growth, but well established echinacea plants can tolerate long dry spells. It is suited to our New Zealand climate well with our dry summers and frosty winters. We have been grown it successfully on our farm on Banks Peninsula for 8 years now.
Planting Instructions
Once you receive the crown, unpack straight away and plant them in a pot with potting mix leaving the growing tip stick out a wee bit. Water well for the first few days and keep then in a sheltered position.
Prepare your garden bed with lots of compost and well-rotted manure. Plant crown into your prepared garden bed in spring (October). Space plants 45cm apart and mulch around the crown. Make sure the growing tips are above the soil level and free of mulch to prevent rotting. Water well at planting time and throughout dry and hot summers.
Harvesting
The roots are easily harvested in autumn of the third year of growing it. Echinacea roots are easy to harvest by hand with a garden fork or spade. Gently loosen up the soil around the plant before lifting the whole root ball out. Shake off any soil and trim off the dried plant material from the tops. Harvest the roots leaving enough for the plants to regrow and be careful not to damage the growing tips that are already in place ready for spring.
Processing and Drying
Soil can get compacted in the central crown of the echinacea where the roots make a bit of a mat. It is helpful to quarter the roots before washing. The roots are soft and can be chopped easily. Wash roots thoroughly before drying. They dry with good airflow at 32 – 43 degrees Celsius in 3-4 days, longer if temperature is lower. Aim to get them dry within one week to prevent mould. Once fully dry (roots should snap when you break them and not bend) store in a paper bag in a dry place until needed. Can be stored for 2 years under optimum conditions (dry and cool) or turned into a tincture, which keeps for many years. Mill them in a food processor before using.
Herbal preparation*
Internal use. Can be used as a tea (decoction) or turned into a tincture, powdered and capsuled or made into mouthwashes and throat sprays. It is safe to use for children and adults.
*This information is for educational purposes only. Please do not self-treat disease using herbs alone. Always consult with a qualified and registered herbalist.
Ingredients: live plant material to plant into your garden
My echinacea has started growing nicely now. Very happy with it. Looking forward to it multipling
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Family: Lamiaceae
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
You will get 3 dormant root pieces. Please find growing information and photos below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)
Family: Lamiaceae
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
You will get 3 dormant plants with growing tips. Please find growing information and photos below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Allium schoenoprasum
Easy care multiplying spring onions/giant chives.
With this starter clump you will have spring onions/giant chives to pick from September until May. No more successive sowing, no more pricking out. Simply plant and cut off as much as you need for 9 months of the year.
Planting instructions are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
We love those leeks as they are easy to grow, need little care and attention and are very giving. They come into full production over winter and produce well into spring when our winter leek crop is finished for the year.
Easy care multiplying leeks. They grow as thick as your thumb (see image).
You will get a starter clump with 3-4 small leeks.
Planting instructions are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis)
Marshmallow leaves and roots are used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of the mucous membranes that line the respiratory tract. They are also used for dry cough, inflammation of the lining of the stomach, diarrhea, stomach ulcers, constipation, urinary tract inflammation, and stones in the urinary tract.*
Order is for 1 plant. It will be a healthy crown cutting with a growing tip. Simply plant into your garden over winter and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis)
Common names: arnica, meadow arnica
Creeping alpine herbaceous perennial.
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
You will get 3 dormant root pieces. Please find growing information and a picture below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum)
This plant is very valuable in a food forest and organic garden system.
The roots and leaves have many medicinal uses. It contains high levels of allantoin, making it a powerful cell proliferant internally and externally. It is used to knit wounds and damaged tissue.*
Order is for 1 plant. It will be a strong crown cutting with a growing tip.
Simply plant into your garden over winter and watch them emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Earth Chestnut (Bunium bulbocastanum)
Common names: Earth chestnut, pignut, great pignut and earthnut
The edible parts of the earth chestnut are its tubers, leaves and seeds. The tubers are small, nutty, and taste like chestnuts and can be eaten raw or cooked like potatoes. The leaves are edible and have a parsley-like flavor, while the seeds are also edible and can be used as a cumin substitute.
You will receive a seedling with roots and young shoots (see image further below). Simply plant into your garden as soon as you receive it and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Smallanthus sonchifolius
Order is for 1 crown (see sample images below).
"Yacon" means "water root" in the Inca language and its tubers were historically highly valued as a wild source of thirst-quenching refreshment for travellers. It taste like a sweet cross between early apples and watermelon with a touch of pear.
The liquid can also be drawn off and concentrated to produce yacon syrup. The yacon is a species of perennial daisy traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Hedychium coronarium
Family: Zingiberaceae
Commonly known as White Ginger, Butterfly Ginger, Himalayan Ginger. In New Zealand it is often sold as Galangal (especially on Trademe) as they are very hard to tell apart. But galangal is a different plant in the ginger family.
Emitting the scent of Gardenias, the flowers resemble a butterfly in flight. Rhizomes develop into large ginger roots that are good in cooking. It tastes like mild yellow ginger. Plant prefers moist or boggy soils and full sun.
Order is for 1 plant (see sample image below).
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Elecampane (Inula helenium)
Healthy crown with growing tip/s (see image below). Simply plant into your garden and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips and uses are below.
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
It can be dug up and divided in the following winter. This one plant may grow into 3-6 plants within one year if conditions are right.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Skirret (Sium sisarum)
Skirret was a reasonably well known plant in Europe from the middle ages into the 19th century. It has names in many different European languages and most of them appear to translate into some variation of “sugar root”. It can be prepared similarly to carrots. We love it simply fried in some butter. It is sweeter than carrots and beautifully creamy and soft when cooked.
You will receive a seedling with some storage roots and shoots (see image further below). Simply plant into your garden as soon as you receive it and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Valerian is most commonly used for sleep disorders, especially the inability to sleep (insomnia).*
Order is for 1 plant. It will be a healthy crown cutting with a growing tip. Simply plant into your garden over winter and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Perennial Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Family: Urticaceae
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
You will get 3 dormant rhizomes (about 20cm each). Please find growing information and photos below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Curcuma longa
Family: Zingiberaceae
Turmeric is one amazing plant with numerous health benefits. Here an extract: "An M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre review of curcumin research, in the journal Phytotherapy Research in 2014, found that it regulates inflammation that "plays a major role in most chronic illnesses, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases."
Order is for 1 small crown.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Family: Lamiaceae
Common names: Lemon Balm, Balm gentle
Lemon Balm is an easy-to-grow, highly medicinal and very yummy member of the mint family. It grows well in a range of different soil conditions and is very generous. We do 3-4 cuts of lemon balm every season.
Growing instructions, medicinal uses and herbal preparations are below.
