Echium

Echium pininana

Echium pininana is a stunning hardy biennial plant from the Canary Islands. In its first year it forms a low rosette of silver, hairy, spear-like leaves, and then in the second year it sends up a huge spike up to 1.8m loaded with small blue flowers. It makes a dramatic statement in a sunny, sheltered garden, and is extremely attractive to bees. After flowering, it scatters seed and dies. Well worth growing.

Echium wildpretii

Echium wildpretti is an attractive, biennial that makes a good addition to any garden. The narrow, silvery leaves form an attractive basal rosette in first year. The following year a flower head is produced on a tall stem of deep coral pink funnel shaped flowers around the spike.

This plant is strikingly architectural and goes well in formal and informal garden settings and loves it dry.