Echium wildpretii

Happy new year! Ended last year by trying to sow loads of seeds, as it’ll save me quite a few pennies. And some have already germinated. Managed to save some seed from my own flowering plants last year so pleased this has worked #echium #echium-wildpretii #seed-germination

Happy new year Richard! Just love sowing seeds, it’s so exciting seeing them germinate (when they do😂)

Happy new year to you too Joan. It certainly is exciting! I was quite surprised how quickly these germinated. I having to be a little cautious as I’m just using home made compost to save money so there might be weed seeds amongst them but I think 90% of these are Echiums! 🤞🏼 @joanboston

A Happy Healthy 2023 Richard! I’m trying to hold off sowing seeds until Feb/March the cat doesn’t like not being able to sit on the window sills😂

Happy New Year hope you have a successful one

Well done, Rich! My greenhouse is a disaster zone thanks to the recent extremely low temperatures but I’m hopeful that some things can be saved. 🤞

I’m struggling to find a consistent peat free compost Richard

Happy New Year Richard….it’s nearly that time again and I can’t wait…..🌱🌱🌱🌱

Looking good! Happy new year 🎉

And to you too Elise 🤗 yes, gotta let the cats have their windowsill otherwise there will be chaos 😆 @Auricula

Thank you Karen 😊🙏🏼 it’s the first time I’ve tried them from seed, hopefully they will survive the next couple of months @KOutdoors

Same to you too Noel, hope you have a super 2023! @nojo920

Quick peek in polytunnel before the covers went on... I repotted both Echiums a couple of weeks ago as they will be shortly putting on new growth. This should have flowered last year but it didn’t as it was still too small. Hopefully this will be the year. Must remember to collect seed this time #echium #echiumwildpretii #echium-wildpretii

They’re wonderful when they do 🤞🏻

Can’t wait Sharon! I couldn’t get hold of a pininana last year unfortunately as haven’t been to any flower shows, but picked this up at a show in Essex in 2019 after my first one finished flowering (forgot to collect the seed to try myself) @sharonhayden

They are beautiful Katy, I’d get more but they are so big I’d struggle to over winter them all I think. I’ve read they may take a bit of frost but I lost one to severe frosts about 3-4 years ago so haven’t been brave enough to try it again. Hope yours will do well and looking forward to seeing it @gjones

I have another Echium, like this one from May 2019, growing away in the polytunnel this year. They are biennial, so it dies after it flowers. But not before it sets tons of seed. This one didn’t get as tall as I thought it would, although it was pot grown and that will always restrict its height. I don’t think it would have survived the wet and frost we’ve had recently if I’d have left the new one outside in the ground. It’s happy under cover 👍🏼

#echium #echium-wildpretii #echiumwildpretii #flashbackfriday

There was one round the corner from me, it was so tall I couldn't believe it 😄👍

This is fantastic looking Rich!💘😍

What a fabulous colour too.

The #echiumpininana plants can get huge Jane, 8-10ft plus I think. Although this was shorter, I liked it as I could see the flowers up close 😄 @pelly

Thanks Shelley! 🙏🏼 hoping to get the new one to flower in the spring 🤞🏼 @ShelleySnyder

Thanks Laura 🙏🏼 certainly one of my best plants from this year! @columbiariver

It was stunning Sue - and full of bees! @suerichards

You are very welcome Rich!💘😍

😍 beautiful

That must have been what it was then, it was way above a six foot fence!! 😍👍

16/04/19 - so..... I think my Echium’s are gonna pop!! 😳😁👌🏼 - Echium wildpretii (at the front) has put all this growth on in just 3-4 weeks, now almost waist height. Too big for the polytunnel now and as it’s getting milder this week they are venturing outdoors ☀️ on the left is also a Echium pininana/wildpretii hybrid ‘Blue Wonder’ (which has also shot up) and on the right is Echium candicans which has doubled in size 👏🏼👏🏼

#echium #echiumwildpretii #echium-wildpretii #echium-candicans #echiumcandicans #echiumbluewonder

Thought you might be interest to see these Julie/Jeff 😊 @vec @jeatacake

Wow looking great Rich. Think I shall evict mine from the greenhouse now as we're not predicted any more temps under 5°

Lokking very promising. Cheers Rich 👌 Keep us posted 👍

Fabulous 💚💚💚

Never realised they could be grown in pots. I have two out doors and they have survived the winter nut be a few years I think before they will bloom

Wow quite exotic!

Wow 😮 they are amazing 👏👏

🚀 gonna take off 😃 That’s a beauty xx

Wow you and @vec can have an echium race, I take my hat off to you, I’ve never managed to overwinter any I’ve grown 👏👏👏

😂😂😂 Heated greenhouse has kept mine going @lisa868 My wonky one has straightened up since yesterday ...so on your marks, get set.... Grow 😁

01/03/19 - Echium Update - I’m feeling pretty confident that this may have just about survived the winter, following some careful temp monitoring. If the temp was forecast anything down to -2 I left it in the polytunnel, with a bit of fleece over it. Any lower, and I moved all the echiums to the shed overnight. Just wondering if it will produce a flowering spike this year or if it’s too early. It’s supposed to be biennial but I’ve heard sometimes it takes a bit longer than two years 🤞🏼

#echium #echium-wildpretii #echiumwildpretii #foliagefriday

🤞 it will flower this year & not need another winter of mollycodling. It is looking well, far better than mine, which died off before ever flowering. I think they flower early, so of it's going to do it, buds should appear very soon 🙏🤞👍

Amazing photo Richard 👌👌

If this shot is anything to go by, Rich, your echium looks beautiful just as it is! Great photography 😍 and I’ll keep everything crossed that it will flower this year. I know you’ll keep us posted on its progress. @richard.spicer.7906 😘

Well it's given you a fantastic photo op even before the blooms appear Richard! 😀

❤️ the variegation

That’s awesome

That's a great photo ☺

Hello Richard ................Incredible photo........love it.

I had one grown from seed that took three years to flower. It was planted in the ground and spent two winters wrapped in fleece and blankets. It was spectacular when it flowered but I haven't grown them again. It was too stressful! @richard.spicer.7906

I'm hoping for flowers from mine this year.... Yours looks variegated ?

Tropical looking and homegrown - currently this Echium wildpretii and my other Echiums looking happy today in the polytunnel but are about to experience their first sub-zero temperatures tonight I think. Gonna be a frosty morning, but hope the polytunnel offers a little protection. Gotta let these babies experience these temps at some time as a test, as this was the very reason I wanted the tunnel to see what I can get away with. It's fairly dry in there so keeping my fingers crossed 🤞🏼😳

#echium #echiumwildpretii #echium-wildpretii

#fingerscrossed for you! 🤞

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Thanks Kari - just woke and looked at the window, there’s been a frost so prediction was right. Will get ready and walk down to the tunnel and make sure all ok 🤞🏼 @KariSamuel

Let us know how it goes! 🙇‍♀️

How are they looking now? Still in good health I hope 👍

Cataloguing.... Echium wildprettii. Trying again, having made the last two attempts fail 🤞🏼 #echium #echium-wildpretii

Do you know why they failed?

I over watered both of them and they rotted 😞 - I’ve been less tempted to water it this time! @kathy

At least you knew the reason, it is annoying when things keel over and I’ve no idea why🤔

Very nice Rich. I'd quite like this one

Third time is a charm!🍀🍀🍀🍀

I tried one of these from seed & it died in year 2. Fingers crossed this will make it to the flowering stage 🤞

Picked it up at GWL this year. I’ve got two others Julie although one I’m not sure the ID is right. Echium candicans (although I’ve heard these are frequently missold and usually end up being another one which I can’t remember right now - Echium Fastuosum?) and I’ve also got a wildpretii x hybrid called blue wonder 👍🏼 @vec

😊👏🏼👏🏼 I hope so Kim, I’m gonna give up if I can’t keep it going third time round @kimguy

I really hope so Jeff - I really don’t know what happened to the previous two. It’s possible they were just bad specimens when I bought them, I only had them about a fortnight for both and I assumed it was me but to be honest I’ve not done much different on the third one and it’s doing just fine - kept it alive a whole two months 😂 @jeatacake

Maybe that's the big hurdle with them, after having been kept in different conditions prior to buying it? The biggest hurdle may be winter. The E.Pininana & Candicans I've had survived just fine in my unheated greenhouse over winter, so I'd guess Wildpretii would too? I think the demise of mine was from overwatering it during a coldish spell 🤔😕

That’s encouraging Jeff - plan to keep mine in the poly, but I think I’ll create a double poly inside to keep it protected @jeatacake