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eucium not growing

Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
in Plants
Fell in love with these at Dungeoness, on the beach, bought one about 6 inches high, in garden open for National Garden Scheme.Planted,watered well, looked dead, dug up, planted in pot of compost, put in cooler place, no mid day sun, Hubby reckons I overwater it, but it looked dry,withered, the stem has got thicker, is is taller, but as soon as it as a couple of very small top leaves, the bottom ones die off, it still doesnt look happy.  I have seeds for next year, any advice?

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Do you mean Echium NB. If so, they are best left in the ground, they don’t transplant too well.  The leaves do die off and they do go tatty. They don’t always overwinter.
    best left to self seed and not disturbed.
    having said that, I could be talking out of my BS because you don’t mean Echium at all😀😀😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    It would be ME talking out of my BS Lyn not you! Its definitely an Echium (Vipers Bugloss) the garden had lots of different plants for sale the chap had grown from seed.  I dont think its going to do any seeding, so they just dont like being transplanted at all. Oh, well, will try the seed next Spring then, anyone grown any from seed?
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    It was a "finger" malfunction, used to be a secretary, and these electric keyboards are too slow for me! yes Echium!!!
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    Best sown direct. VB are seeding now naturally and now is the time to sow, where you want them to grow, in the ground, no transplanting. It's worth planting out the one in the pot, water it in the settle the soil and then ignore it. They are biennial and it may well flower next year to provide seeds for the following year.


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I've grown them from seed in plugs - 30 years or so ago so I didn't know about them not liking to be moved but I dare say the plugs got round that problem.  They grew very well and were flowering well in mid June but that was when we moved from Harrow to Belgium so I've no idea how they finished their summer.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    There's echiums and echiums ... there's  our native Echium vulgare (Viper's Bugloss)
    and there's Echium pinana which towers over you like a church steeple
    Image result for echium pininana dungeness

     and various others ... some of which are here  https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=1631

    Which did you fall in love with and is that the one you're growing at home?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I’ve got both, only ever grow from seeds, I naturally assumed you meant the tall one, but I would think they behave much the same as to not liking being moved. 
    This is the time they would drop seeds on the soil, so sprinkle a few, you could try a few in the Spring as well. 
    I find the self seeded ones are much stronger than tray sown ones. 
    Dont expect flowers in the same year though, as Nut says, they’re Biennials. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Yes, the shorter one Dove, and thats the one I bought, have seen the big beasts at Arundel Castle.  My seeds say to sow in spring, so, how about I do some now, see how it goes keep some for spring.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Worth a try, I don’t bother now to sow anything in trays in autumn, I find they catch up and I like the rest in the winter months and not have to worry about seeds, my self seeded ones will flower next year. It’s a waiting game with biennials and perenials. You need to plan 2 years ahead. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332
    Once you get them growing in the garden, they will self seed all over the place!   This year I cut back the very big ones when they went brown only to discover that several have put up more flowers.
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