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Echium candicans (Pride of Madeira )

jackpjackp Posts: 43
in Plants
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these plants .
After searching for one for a while I got a nice mature plant early summer and put it in correct soil and position in a large pot .up until recently it has been constantly wilting in between regular watering and only Flowered once so far  when I first go it .its now still outside due a current lack of greenhouse space but looks like it actually prefers the cold wet weather as it looks healthier now then a few months ago .dont know why though a plant native to Madeira didn't like the heat this summer ? 

Posts

  • Fran IOMFran IOM Posts: 2,574
    This thread has reached page 2 without a response. Can anyone help @jackp?
  • jackpjackp Posts: 43

  • LynLyn Posts: 22,870
    I don’t grow this one, but if it’s anything like the pininana I grow, it’s a biennial, so if it’s flowered, that’s it lot. Did you save some seeds? 
    Maybe yours is different, have a google and see if it’s a perenial.  I have just googled, it’s not perenial so it will die now. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Fran IOMFran IOM Posts: 2,574
    Thanks @Lyn for answering that as I don't like to see posts go unanswered. :)  Sounds like the "blue steeple" I had which was blown over by the "beast" but as it had flowered I was told it would have died anyway.
  • LynLyn Posts: 22,870
    I didn’t see the post before Fran, always really to talk about Echiums😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Fran IOMFran IOM Posts: 2,574
    Thought you would be as you helped me with my original thread a year ago!  :) Hope @jackp finds your answer.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,121
    One of the saddest aspects of cultivating some of the most beautiful plants is the fact that they are biennials :(
    Echium candicans is as such unfortunately , a lax mound forming shrub much beloved by bees .
    It should self-seed around , so eventually you'll have a nice little colony growing there.
  • jackpjackp Posts: 43
    We had a few blue steeple aswell a few years  which got to about 10ft high then fell over .they produced hundreds of self seeded plants some of which have found there way all around the neighbourhood and a few bigger ones we kept in pots .are they just biennial in uk climate as they do get more woody and established in warmer conditions it seems.(example here) .the wood looks similar to lilac 
  • LynLyn Posts: 22,870
    That’s not the same plant as in the Op though, first photo looks like the pininana.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • SashahookSashahook Posts: 1
    These two varieties look very similar when young. The pride of Madeira is not biennial is perennial and will flower year upon year until it exhausts itself. They like free draining soil, in a sheltered place with full sun.
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