Plant ID help please!

[PouleChick]

I'm sure there are plant ID forums on the web but I dont' belong to any! I'm hoping one of you guys can help me. Last year I planted some Echinacea (sp?) seeds along one edge of a bed, I think I did get some little seedlings but they disappeared with heat / neglect / slugs - I don't know. This spring I was out clearing off the bed of weeds when I noticed 2 seedlings that were the same in a row where I think I'd planted them last year. My issue is I've looked on Google and they don't look exactly like mine but I dont' want to pull them up if they are echinaceas!
So what do you think is this a coneflower plant or am I carefully nurturing 2 weeds

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure, I don't grow those. You might check out this link and see how close they fit.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/identify-purple-coneflower-not-bloom-62343.html

There are some good people on this forum that hopefully can help you, good luck with that. If all else fails you can join the sister gardening site and ask over here. There are some enjoy identifying plants and definitely people that grow cone flowers. The link should be at the bottom of this page.

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

@lazy gardener maybe you can help? I have two thumbs but neither are green

Edit: u did lol

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

And yes, you can copy and pasye in the gardening forum...u would find more help there

 

[PouleChick]

Brilliant - thanks for that link Ridgerunner - I was looking at images and getting confused as nothing looked just like mine but that description is great. Look for the coneflower's dark-to-medium-green leaves with serrated edges. I was doubting because it has serrated edges but looks like if it is it is supposed to!
I wonder if having them in full sun is what killed them last year as that article says this:
Observe the growing site to determine if the plant is thriving in the coneflower's preferred culture of full to partial shade and fast-draining evenly moist to slightly dry soil.
Oops!

Anyway still not sure so I'll go and have a really good look for the other things it says to check for (when it stops raining ) but I'm feeling a little more hopeful

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Looks very much like an echinacea seedling. They reseed freely.
What I do with seedlings (questionable or not) is to dig them up and either replant them in a "nursery" bed or put them in pots. Then I nurture them and see what happens. If I get a decent plant out of it I find a place in my garden for the new plant.
If not, I toss it in the compost heap!
I am in the process of moving opportunistic seedlings that came up this spring---so far I have some echinacea, columbine, shasta daisy, and chrysanthemum babies to deal with. Russian sage put out tons of runners that have to be cut---I have no room for anymore of it and have given away more plants that I have raised from cut runners than I can count. Columbine does not do well with relocation so I will leave a gorgeous plant that came up without any help with me and move some other things to give the columbine room.
Best thing is, free plants! And very often the seedlings that started themselves are really tough and hardy.
BTW, all my echinacea is in full sun and doing beautifully. I don't know where that "partial shade" advice came from.
A bunny in my garden with echinacea.

 

[MROO]

Maybe this will help, too.
Coneflower Seedlings:

 

[PouleChick]

Looks very much like an echinacea seedling. They reseed freely.

Thank you - I'm very excited - i was so sad last year when they didnt' work!!!

What I do with seedlings (questionable or not) is to dig them up and either replant them in a "nursery" bed or put them in pots

That is a great idea - thanks - I'm new to gardening as well as chickens so it's all a big learning curve for me! My Calundula has done that - I keep spotting new ones popping up and a couple of particularly hardy ones made it through the winter so are already quite big and flowering!

And very often the seedlings that started themselves are really tough and hardy.

that is awesome to know!

 

[PouleChick]

Maybe this will help, too.
Coneflower Seedlings:

Thank you - See that is what worried me as I saw pics like that - mine seem much more serrated which made me so unsure.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

I'm sure there are plant ID forums on the web but I dont' belong to any! I'm hoping one of you guys can help me. Last year I planted some Echinacea (sp?) seeds along one edge of a bed, I think I did get some little seedlings but they disappeared with heat / neglect / slugs - I don't know. This spring I was out clearing off the bed of weeds when I noticed 2 seedlings that were the same in a row where I think I'd planted them last year. My issue is I've looked on Google and they don't look exactly like mine but I dont' want to pull them up if they are echinaceas!
So what do you think is this a coneflower plant or am I carefully nurturing 2 weeds

Could it possibly be a Black-eye Susan plant?