I've viewed prior conversations on here about echium pininana, and the trial's and tribulations of getting it through winters to flower. I'm actually interested in it for the foliage, and my question is how big will it grow in its first summer?
Mine are about 3’ now and if I can keep them through them winter they will bloom next summer. It’s a big if though, I’ve lost quite a few through the winter. after they flower, they die, they are not perennials. its a three year cycle here for me.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
@Hostafan1 that is a decent height, Chris Beardshaw used echium for foliage at Chelsea, they caught my eye. @Lyn I'm not holding out to see the flowers though they look mighty from the photos I've seen, the exotic foliage will be good, the flower an added bonus 😁
They will take a couple of years to get to that height, 1st year seedlings, 2nd year take off a bit 3rd year large, flower and die. Thats if you can keep them over winter.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Oh, that is quite some investment, I've never seen one in reality and perhaps that is why. So are the first year seedlings usable in a decorative sense or are pretty small?
The echium pinana I have growing in pots are leggy with barely any leaves (approx 6" tall), those that are growing in beds in the garden are up to 4' tall with plenty of leaves. They will flower next year although I notice it is just the foliage you are interested in @Astro - it seems a pity to grow this plant and yet deprive the bees (one of their favourite flowering plants) of the little blue/mauve flowers.
@Dovefromabove it appears I have misidentified the plant 🤨
The plant in question is front right of this photo, which I thought looked like echium. Further reason for my confusion I think is because I saw something I thought similar on another Chris Beardshaw Chelsea
to his right .I think now the echium are the plants behind his left. So I put 2 and 2 together and got 7 😒😁
The plants in your first pic do look similar to Echiums ... but very well grown if they’re first year plants .., this site shows some well grown ones ... presumably grown in more favourable conditions than in my Norfolk garden 😉 http://www.cooltropicalplants.com/Echium-pininana.html
“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh
@Guernsey Donkey2 I would certainly leave it to grow to it's fullest, and providing the pollinators is very high on my list of growing plants.
All my thinking is that going off what I've read it can be tough to get it to flower, in better conditions than I can likely provide. I would be happy with the foliage if that is as far as it goes.
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after they flower, they die, they are not perennials.
its a three year cycle here for me.
Thats if you can keep them over winter.
https://www.morganstanley.com/articles/chelsea-flower-show-morgan-stanley-garden-plant-list-2019
The plant in question is front right of this photo, which I thought looked like echium. Further reason for my confusion I think is because I saw something I thought similar on another Chris Beardshaw Chelsea
to his right .I think now the echium are the plants behind his left. So I put 2 and 2 together and got 7 😒😁
http://www.cooltropicalplants.com/Echium-pininana.html
All my thinking is that going off what I've read it can be tough to get it to flower, in better conditions than I can likely provide. I would be happy with the foliage if that is as far as it goes.
I've ordered seeds and I'll give it a good go 😉