Echium Pininana
Echium Pininana
Echium Pininana plants are well regarded for their beauty and ability to attract all kinds of insects and animals. In bloom, the plants are a great asset to any garden. They will even grow well in drought areas and coastal areas of Australia providing these landscape areas with immense amounts of colour. This plant creates enormous flower spires that can grow up to 4 metres or as tall 12 feet after 2-3 years of growth. While in bloom this perennial is truly magnificent. Echium Pininana sometimes called tree echium draws large numbers of bees seen feasting on the flowers, butterflies and birds such as humming birds love it too. While the Echium plants are mind-blowing to see in full flower, they make a great addition to any frost resistant garden. Individuals should learn a little about them before planting. Echiums comes in several varieties and colours. The Echium Pininana Blue Steeple, Echium Pininana Snow Tower, and Echium Pininana Pink Fountain all have the same special needs and can be grown side by side forming a clump of different colours. Growing requirements should be known to the gardener before beginning to grow echium seeds or planting Echium plants bought from a nursery.
Echium Pininana Blue Steeple
The popular Echium Pininana has stand out tall spires. The tall spires are just covered in swags of pretty blue flowers which is known to flower in Australia from spring and will of completed flowering by the summer months. Gardeners who plant the Echium Blue Steeple will need to have some patience. The plant does not flower for the first two years of its life, once grown from seed. The plant also requires no special conditions to thrive in. Just make sure to plant the Echium Pininana Blue Steeple in a partially shaded area in the afternoons out of the wind. This will allow the plant to flourish and exceed in it’s environment.
Echium Pininana Snow Tower
Originating from Guernsey, Pininana Snow Tower is rare and hard to get which provides dense panicles with white flowers to 15 feet. Echium Snow Tower has the exact same maintenance needs as the Echium Pininana this plant still requires two winters to see the first flowers and needs to be treated like a normal garden plant, let dry out between waterings, the ground must have rich soil with good drainage and does best in a sunny to partially shaded area out of the wind besides this eliminates the plant from sun damaged leaves while still allowing the plant to receive optimal levels of nutrients.
Echium Pininana Pink Fountain
Common Name Tower of Jewels or Pride of Tenerife Fountain, echium is very interesting. This type of pink fountain can be grown under the same conditions as the other echiums. Despite the cultivating similarities, the Pink Fountain variety has a rich history and interesting legacy all of its own. The plant is actually the result of an experiment to create a hybrid between the fabulous E wildpretii and the magnificent blue E. This gives the Echium Pininana Pink Fountain a one of a kind look although all species are cold hardy they will benefit from being mulched. They can be grown in pots and will flower just the same. They look spectacular planted in groups and are low maintenance drought tolerant that can be planted in beds and borders in a cottage garden. These plants are part of the borage family, Boraginaceae.
Echiums are not horribly difficult to raise. However, they are easy to grow and don’t require a lot of time and effort. The requirements to remember is that each echium plant will have to undergo 2 winters before it can finally bloom for the first time.
