Echiums

Scaffolding ordered
Im gutted! but to be fair to it its got some girth & height on it so must be heavy for such a smallish stem,the wind was'nt kind to it a few week back but i hadnt noticed the roots until thurs

 

By the time they get round to flowering they mostly have that bend at ground level.
I stake mine with a kind of cross bar effect on the side they lean.
If it was to fall over now it would probably supply you with enough seed for the next 20yrs anyway, it would just use up the sap in the stem.

Pity to lose it early though, so I'd try propping it up for another month or two.

 

Thats good news pete,i thought i would not get seeds,the bees are still enjoying it,its done really well seen as its had me to look after it
I will stake it tomorrow and water it as kristen as said,i thought about putting a paving slab over the roots,thought that might help

 

I think the paving slab idea is a good one.

 

You do i wasnt sure if it could help or not Ive staked it this morning the best i can with what i have so will see how it goes x

 

Thats what I like to see, not pretty, but pretty effective.

 

Il put some netting on it and find a climber to plant

 

10 echiums, 6 months old... i didnt think all of them vl survive the move from pot to ground.. they took the move rather well...

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How do i collect the the seeds from the pininana?
I can see some have dropped out,when i shake though seeds dont seem to fall so am i ok just to take off the seeds stems and remove the black seeds by hand?
I could string the whole plant upside down from the sycamore tree with a bin under it..but that seems extreme
Also do the seeds need a period of freeze before germination?
Thanks x

 

Not tried to harvest seeds from Echium, but when seeds haven;t "shed" I cut a stem off, and put it upside down in a large brown envelop and just stand the envelopes upright in a row/rack. As the stem dries the seeds are shed, into the envelop.

It helps if you write the name on the outside of envelop

 

Thanks,do they need to go in the fridge or freezer before i sow them??

 

They don't need any pre-chilling, but you should still store them in the refrigerator until you get ready to sow them.
Seeds fall on the ground here and germinate freely. The tap roots are fragile.

 

I dont bother collecting the seed, it just grows next year, and if you catch the small plants young they can be potted up or moved etc.
Some seed will lie dormant in the ground and come up in a year or two.

It helps if you know what a young plant looks like, but I'm sure some will germinate at various times through next summer.

 

I want to put some in seed swap and for anyone who wants them,let me know
Im still no wiser with the russicum seedlings i have,do they one spike per seedling or a bushy plant??

 

Essentially, its one spike per plant. However if the growing point gets damaged they can throw up more than one spike - but its not bushy.