Echium or Viper's bugloss

Family Boraginaceae. Name: derived from the Greek word 'echis' - hedgehog.

Native to the Mediterranean and Asia Minor, where it occurs as a weed. Stems 30-100 cm tall, branching with elongate-lanceolate leaves. Flowers fragrant, bell-shaped, located at the ends of shoots in few-flowered, one-sided, paniculate inflorescences. Perianth color of the wild species is bluish-lilac; in garden forms - pink, lilac, blue and white. Blooming is prolonged - from late June to autumn. A good nectar source. Seeds grayish-green, up to 280 per gram. Germination capacity is retained for at least 3 years. This species is mistakenly called the common viper's bugloss in horticulture, whereas botanists use that name for the widely distributed Е.vulgare, a very close but entirely separate species. The plantain-leaved viper's bugloss in the wild is found on the Atlantic coasts of France and England. It grows on nutrient-poor soils, wastelands, road verges and dry ravine slopes. On fertile soil its foliage overdevelops, and few flowers are produced. In such cases it loses its ornamental value.

Location: requires open, sunny sites. Tolerates short-term frosts down to -3°C.

Soil: grows quickly and develops well on light, calcareous, well-fertilized soil. Does not tolerate wet sites!

Propagation: by seeds. At the beginning of April sow for seedlings, prick out into pots, and in mid-May plant out to a permanent place. It can be sown directly into the ground in late April - early May, but flowering will occur later because seeds germinate 2-3 weeks after sowing. Seedlings are thinned, leaving a spacing of at least 45 cm between plants. Only under such conditions will each have enough space for normal development.