We took a few pictures today - our echium is in full flower and the bees love it. My one small patch of Lily of the Valley - planted last May - hoping that it will spread a little of time. The aqualegia & flag iris with a granite mushroom behind is near our pond.
Guernsey D , nice pictures , I planted Lilly of the valley and every year I pull some of it up otherwise it would take over , it certainly spreads in my garden
Yes, that's right Hefty - they grow like weeds over here- self seeding - there are about 20 tiny new plants under these tall specimens - they are biennials too. They grow in gutters, roadsides, walls - in fact anywhere where there is a small amount of soil - which can be the poorest of soils, the bees love them too.
I am hoping that my Lily of the Valley will spread too GWRS so that I can give some to neighbours & friends.
My brother took echiums some back to Holland but the snow/frost killed them. They do need extra care over the cold winter months - they love sunshine but best of all is that when in flower the bees adore them.
Thanks Davids - I do get a lot of pleasure from my garden as I suspect all forum members do - your little plants are lovely - so colourful and they make a perfect edging - I love plants that overlap - they look so natural.
The echiums only live for 2 years Hefty - they self seed, so we have plenty of small plants growing underneath the ones that are now in flower - which are two years old - they will die at the end of this season & the little seedlings will flower next year. They have them in the Scilly Islands but I am not sure how far up north they will grow, I think Alan Titchmarsh mentioned them in one of his GW articles.
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We took a few pictures today - our echium is in full flower and the bees love it. My one small patch of Lily of the Valley - planted last May - hoping that it will spread a little of time. The aqualegia & flag iris with a granite mushroom behind is near our pond.
Guernsey D , nice pictures , I planted Lilly of the valley and every year I pull some of it up otherwise it would take over , it certainly spreads in my garden
Is that top picture the Echium? is so - WOW! thats awesome, looks like some kind of alien plant!
Yes, that's right Hefty - they grow like weeds over here- self seeding - there are about 20 tiny new plants under these tall specimens - they are biennials too. They grow in gutters, roadsides, walls - in fact anywhere where there is a small amount of soil - which can be the poorest of soils, the bees love them too.
I am hoping that my Lily of the Valley will spread too GWRS so that I can give some to neighbours & friends.
Last edited: 23 May 2016 22:23:59
Wow lovely - I'm gonna google it and see if I can get one
My brother took echiums some back to Holland but the snow/frost killed them. They do need extra care over the cold winter months - they love sunshine but best of all is that when in flower the bees adore them.
I'm all about the bees so I'd love to get one - how old are the ones in your picture?
beautiful pics GD, iris are my faves.
warm tones growing in a gravel path
Thanks Davids - I do get a lot of pleasure from my garden as I suspect all forum members do - your little plants are lovely - so colourful and they make a perfect edging - I love plants that overlap - they look so natural.
The echiums only live for 2 years Hefty - they self seed, so we have plenty of small plants growing underneath the ones that are now in flower - which are two years old - they will die at the end of this season & the little seedlings will flower next year. They have them in the Scilly Islands but I am not sure how far up north they will grow, I think Alan Titchmarsh mentioned them in one of his GW articles.
Echiums grow at Logan Gardens near Stranraer, SW Scotland. An area warmed by the Gulf Stream.
The Gardens are an off shoot of Edinburgh Botanical Gardens.