Echium wildpretti

The best place to see these plants at their most spectacular is on Las Canadas del Teide, Tenerife's largest volcano. Snow capped from November to March, Mount Teide is the highest mountain on Spanish territory. It is quite amazing to see the Echium wildpretii in full flower in Sheffield. Not an easy plant to grow, mainly because it requires really sharp drainage and protection from winter wet. The echiums growing in the Mediterranean Climate Garden (area L) have been grown from seed by FOBS members, and although may be fairly easy to get them through the first year, it is difficult to get them to flowering point. Quite a few Echium wildpretii plants were grown, but only one has survived. Although Echium pininana has been grown successfully in the Gardens, this is a first for the species E. wildpretii. Unfortunately, once it has flowered it will die, but meanwhile the bees are making full use of the pollen in vast numbers. Hopefully seed will be collected with a view to having a 'forest' in a couple of years. The echiums are in the borage family and both E. wildpretii and E. pininana are biennial.