Echium

I planted a Pride of Madeira last year, did post on a thread but cat find it. It grew to over 4 ft across and was very healthy but it didnt flower, It survived all through the winter until we had those two or three days hard frosts, it was covered with fleece but the whole plant went a silvery grey and died, is there a chance it will sprout from the base or shall I just pull it up. I cut off the dead stuff today and have to say the trunk didnt seem very viable. Not used to growing tender plants and had it not been so big I might have tried to take it in.

Mrs Chopper

 

There is a slight chance it might shoot from the old stem if some of it is still firm.

But it might be better to have another go this year and grow it in a large pot, overwinter it either in a greenhouse or a very sheltered position.
They can take two year to flower sometimes.

 

Here's your old thread Mrs. C

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/echium-pride-of-madeira.35989/

 

I took cuttings last year which I have overwintered in the polytunnel no problem, they are about 9 inches high so will take your advice and stick one in a mega pot so I can bring it in next winter.
Will leave the stump for a few weeks though just in case.
Thanks for your reply.
Mrs Chopper

 

Once you get one to flower you'll have seedlings for years ... so the hardest bit is getting the first one to flower

 

I suspect that it is dead. They don't like the cold and don't like the damp either.

I didn't know that you could take cuttings of any Echium, as they usually have only one growing point. But E. candicans has several.

 

When I planted it last year it grew loads of little 'plantlets' out of the stems they knocked off very easily and I just picked them off and popped them in pots, they all rooted pretty quickly. If the new ones do the same I will take some pics to show you.

Mrs Chopper

 

I've tried cuttings without much success, so you did well Mrs Chopper, you must tell us how you managed to root them.

 

To be honest I didn't do anything special, when i planted it out last year it just grew loads of little shoots out of the arched stems, I just picked them off and pushed them into pots and they grew. So sorry I can't be more technical than that lol. I might have dipped them in rooting powder but they just sat under the polytunnel bench and grew.

Mrs Chopper

 

I grew 3 echiums from seed last year; by the end of the summer they were in 5lt pots and about 2ft+ in height, I over wintered them in the shed.

They are looking rather drab and sorry for themselves at the moment, "hopefully" I might be able to get them to recover as they still have healthy green growing tips, although these are slightly wilted (I have given them water).

Fingers crossed...

 

Arched stems?

Mmmm, they should have been upright.
Maybe that is why you got a lot of side shoots.