Re: Echium Problems

I thought Echium wildprettii (Tower of Jewels) was always a biennial.  Do
people find that it lives on after blooming?  I have never seen it with
branches or offshoots.

Very puzzling about the death of E. pininana before blooming.  I have grown
them for years and that has never happened.  I have a north slope with heavy
soil, no water aside from rain.  For me they are always biennial, but I gave
seedlings to a friend and they have lasted for years.

> From: "Bracey Tiede" <tiede@pacbell.net>
> Reply-To: <tiede@pacbell.net>
> Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 06:35:53 -0700
> To: "'medit-plants'" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
> Subject: RE: Echium Problems
> 
> Spectacular Tower of Jewels specimens in Mendocino, California, lured me into
> purchasing one about ten years ago.  At first, it was beautiful, growing just
> the right size.  The second year it put out gorgeous blooms and we were happy.
> Then it got woody and huge and spiny and trimming it didn't help at all.
> Since
> our backyard isn't very large, we pulled it.  I agree with Andy that it
> belongs
> in a large and wild landscape.  And I can continue to admire their sculptural
> and Seuss-ish qualities there.
> 
> Cheers,
> Bracey
> San Jose CA
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Mariani [a*@mindspring.com]
> Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 11:35 AM
> To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: Echium Problems
> 
> 
> I cultivate several species of Echium in my garden, including E.
> candicans (E. fastuosum), E. handiensis, E. pininana, E. wildpretii, and
> what appears to be hybrids between the two latter species.   From a
> strictly design standpoint,  I find them  fascinating  plants with
> stunning colors and striking sculptural quality.  The towering forms are
> dramatically statuesque,  like the spires of Gaudi's unfinished
> cathedral in Barcelona, and the rambling branched forms are a source of
> intense winter color displaying an  iridescent pallette of analogous
> shades/tints of blue, purple and mauve.
> 
> <snip>
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index