Wednesday

The Giant Viper Echium "Tower of Jewels"


Echium wildpretii and Echium pininana

I've never seen anything like this. Looks like this huge (also called) "Tower of Jewels" grows this size in within 2 years. How gratifying is that? :) I got seeds for the blue/purple variety Echium pininana Pride of Tenerife, the color other being red to pink.
Some other Echiums are white and maroon red.

This evergreen plant can be found as a garden ornamental but is intolerant of low temperatures. As for most Echium it is favored by bee-keepers for its high nectar and pollen content.

Wildpretii is an interesting plant that produces a basal dense rosette of narrow hairy silvery leaves during the first year and in the third year produces an erect inflorescence between 3-9 foot tall. The plant blooms from late spring to early summer. The plant dies after fruiting, leaving lots of seeds.

This amazing plant can grow up to 10 feet tall, but 6 feet is more usual. It doesn't grow much in its first year, but concentrates on sending down a very thick tap root. The next year it grows a lot and may bloom under optimal conditions.
  
 The narrow silvery Grey leaves have a stiff texture. You can expect flowers in year two or three, and these are impressive and worth the wait. The wildpretii flowers from March to May in the lower regions or August in the mountains. From the center of the Tower of Jewels rosette, grows a stately inflorescence with thousands of blue flowers, which forms a thick column, sometimes up to 1 foot thick. 
Suitable for xeriscaping. It is an excellent plant for; seaside garden, shrub borders and containers.

  • Plant Source Link (none available, please let me know if you have a source)
  • Seed Source Link


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3 comments:

Unknown said...

I love these Echium. They are just so interesting. A huge tower of colour!

leiani said...

Medusa and Aearelon, what fine taste you have. I never thought of these nativers of the Canaries/Teneriffa to be popular elsewhere. They are truly spectacular. Gracie.

Anonymous said...

Will spaying them with bee repellant be harmful ?