Comments on: echiums!

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:47:52 +0000

Wow. This is a real stunner (and your images are beautiful). I can see where you wanted to include it in your garden (and your ‘gag’ in your next post made me laugh!) — anyway, I’ve given up on a perfect garden, and instead have turned it into a place where I enjoy watching things grow and bloom (without all the expectation). Those spiraling flowers — what fun. Can I (secretly) hope that it reseeds everyone so that we can see it bloom again in years to come?

By: [ Lost in the Landscape ] » getting real

[ Lost in the Landscape ] » getting real — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:32:30 +0000

[…] my last post, on my blooming echiums, I was having a hard time coming up with an attractive photo that showed […]

By: lostlandscape

lostlandscape — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:53:17 +0000

Loree, thanks for your comments. You can see I finally figured out the problem with your notes not showing up. Still, I might be needing to fish them out of spam manually until there’s a new version of the filter. I know exactly what you mean about some plants that you just wish wouldn’t bother to flower, and I’ve been planning a post about that sometime.

EE, with your climate being so much like mine I can see how the pride of Madeira could turn into a weed. I sometimes volunteer at a local native plant garden where baby echium weeds keeps sprouting.

TM, between the gophers and my forgetting to watering them, my original 24 or so seedlings dwindled to the 3 plants I have now. So it might not be awful if this plant self-sows a bit. I’m awfully attracted to our local Oenothera elata, but I’ve been a tad wary of it myself.

Ryan, plants like these are really tricky to integrate into a landscape. They don’t just stay there in a pretty little mound. And then they croak after 3 years.

Wendy, I’m still figuring out how to use this plant. It’s great as a special extravagant exhibit when it blooms, but it just suddenly dwarfs all its neighbors.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:16:10 +0000

wow, what a show! Your photos are great btw. I think you’d have to have quite a landscape to be able to feature this well. It’s quite a plant!

By: ryan

ryan — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:50:19 +0000

Very cool. I’ve always wanted to plant one, but never quite found the right space. Seems like a really fun plant to watch it do its thing.

By: Town Mouse

Town Mouse — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:15:07 +0000

Amazing plant, though I’m not sure I’d want 500 of them (I’ve even refrained from planting the native Oenothera for fear it will take over)

thanks for the pictures!

By: Elephant's Eye

Elephant's Eye — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:30:11 +0000

A pinker, taller, prettier leaved cousin of my Paterson’s Curse. I have to catch the seedlings as soon I can see what they are. Wonder if you will have a problem? Pride of Madeira is a cultivated garden plant in South Africa. Bit wary of it.

By: Loree / danger garden

Loree / danger garden — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:22:41 +0000

I typed a ridiculously long comment and submitted it and *poof* it disappeared. I seem to be having commenting issues on many blogs these days. So…I want to try and say again…great post with lovely pictures! I am growing several of this Echium this year and while seeds would be nice I kind of hope it doesn’t flower…because I love the foliage!

By: Loree / danger garden

Loree / danger garden — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:12:32 +0000

I LOVE this plant! I’m growing a few this year and actually it would be fine with me if it never bloomed, I love the foliage. However I do like the idea of seeds everywhere! I’m so bad at identifying seedlings though that I’d probably end up pulling them out anyway. Your pictures are gorgeous!