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Info on Echiums...

>From: moholt@gardens.com (The Bay Area Gardener)
>Subject: Re: Info on Echiums...
>Sender: tcg@best.com
>Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 09:23:37 -0700
>
> I recently saw the red form of E. wildpretti in one of the gardens on the
> Park Day School Tour.
>
> Not knowing much about these echiums, I thought wildpretti was always red
> and picked up some at the Strybing Plant Sale in May. Now, I'm going to
> have to ask Strybing if I've got the red or the pink.
>
> I'll let people know, and if I've got the pink, I'll call the people with
> the red form and ask them where they got them.
>
> Carol

Hi Carol -

Echium wildpretti has always been a sort of red-coral-pinkish color,
not dissimilar from Centranthus ruber ruber (typically called the
'red' form of that plant).  Some people call it 'pink', others
'red'.  To my eye it is that special tone in the coral range rather
than anything like a true red or most pinks.

Recently, I saw many handsome specimens of this plant with tall &
dense spikes of flowers, some over 6ft tall, on either side of a
walk paved in a blue-green-gray stone.  The grey foliage was nicely
set off by the stone and the unusual color of the flowers gained
importance next to this unusual stone color.  Lots of accents in the
coral red through burgundy tones were in the background, again
pointing back to the Echiums.

A short time ago, noting several of these Echiums flowering in a
front garden of a house painted the same interesting color, I found
a few specimens with a wider, greener leaf, and lavender flowers
(though is many respect very similar to the E. wildpretti in the
same planting).  I wonder if this is the plant Ernie saw?  I thought
it might be a chance hybrid at the time, but I know there are
various Echiums around that I still do not know, especially in San
Francisco and along the coast (where they love to grow).

Ernie - This house is on the east side of Sacramento Street, between
the No. Berkeley BART Station and Hopkins - not far from where you
work - perhaps you've seen these plants also?

 Sean A. O'Hara                     sean.ohara@ucop.edu
 710 Jean Street                    http://www.dla.ucop.edu/sao
 Oakland, California  94610-1459    h o r t u l u s   a p t u s
 (510) 987-0577                     'a garden suited to its purpose'
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