Re: Echium fastuosum
Thanks Glenn,
for your timely warning. Echium vulgare, seed or plant, is not offered in
Southern California as far as I know. Echium fastuosum is moderately available
and fairly widely planted as a drought tolerant plant, both in gardens and
municipal landscaping. It rarely self-seeds, but does at times to give away or
pull out. Echium wildprettii does self-seed moderately; it is also easily
pulled. Perhaps our climate or soil conditions preclude its being a pest for us
as it is for you. Believe me, we have far more threatening species than this.
Nutsedge and Nothoscordum (sp?) being the worst that come to mind. J.
Glenn Breayley wrote:
> A word of warning here regarding all the Echiums & that is they have a nasty
> potential to go wild. The annual Echium vulgare (?) is notorious in
> Australia & NZ & has recently got away in here in SA. The tall, biennial,
> spired varieties such as E.wildprettii are an escapee in parts of NZ & were
> recently invading the undercliffs here in Hermanus until I managed to
> convince the reserve people they had a major problem developing. E fastuosum
> is also an escapee on the Cape Peninsular from one single mother plant
> injudicially planted along Chapmans Peak.
> It would be a sad legacy to leave your children, Janet, if an alien invader
> were to become known as Smithens Curse.
>
> Regards
>
> Glenn Breayley. Ragnarok & Valhalla Research.
> POBox 26158, Hout Bay, 7872, Capetown, South Africa
> PhFax SA 021 7904253 E-mail valhalla@iafrica.com
> Wholesale nurseryman & Tillandsia specialist wholesale & retail grower.
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Jan Smithen, gardening teacher
Los Angeles County Arboretum
jansmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone : 10
http://home.earthlink.net/~jansmithen/
Visit the Victorian Rose Garden website at :
http://victorian-rose.org/
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