From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening
On 25/06/2025 12:57, N_Cook wrote:
On 22/12/2024 16:52, N_Cook wrote:
The main echium this year topped out at 4.2 metres or 14 foot allowing
for the bend in the stem. Seeds should be dropping in the next week or
so. Last year I collected thousands of seeds, giving away plantlets from
them this year.
I thought I was observant. Checking the ground last year and this year I
was surprised not to see any self sown plants.
2 doors down between his front wall and the public pavement in the gap
dirt, half a dozen borage plants I thought. But bending down for a
closer look the leaves have the tiny black dots of echium.
So I checked "my" pavement dirt strip and I'd been daily walking over
another half a dozen plantlets at the front garden path step down to the public pavement. I've no idea if they were there last year and survived
the winter or just this year with March drought but obviously survived
the heatwave last week. I need to transplant mine and see the neighbour
about moving his as 14 foot spikey voluminous plants growing next to the public pavement is far too much . I suspect deep tap roots to have
survived last week and perhaps March drought, so will probably damage
them ,pulling them up. Will try rooting compound and wet compost.
Talking to an IoW echium afficianado his first plants came from pulling
up and transplanting a few , he found in a pavement at Ventnor Botanic
Garden (again would not have been allowed to mature in that self-chosen
spot ).
For the plantlets pulled out of cracks, so breaking the stems in the
process, the largest 2 plants with stems greater than 3mm diameter did
not survive, but the eight small ones grew on with some rooting compoud
dusted over.
Although only 3 inches high now, they are oldish plants and the hairs
have toughened up to fight off slugs. The neighbours ones expired from
the heatwave at end of June, while in situ.
I found some more in some unmortared brick paving gaps, that is hard
standing for wheelie bins, having survived being trodden and wheeled
over, now transplanted likewise .
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