In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-04-05 20:50:04 +0100, Gopher said:

In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-04-05 15:40:29 +0100, Gopher said:

In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-04-05 13:41:53 +0100, Derek Turner said:

Last year it was a six" high 'cutting' given by a neighbour. Now

over 5' tall.
www.cantabile.org.je/derek/worrissit.jpg
the green thing on the left not the fat ugly thing on the right - that's
me!
Looks like Echium piniana and if you were given it last year, it
should flower this year. I had 3 in my St Martin's garden and
thought I'd lost them to frost. Next spring I had *hundreds* of
them all over the place! If you don't want that, save some seed
and chop the rest down. I think they've got some in Ransom's car
park. If I'm correct and it is that plant, this is what they do:
http://dobies.hostserver1.co.uk/im/pd/FLSECH17853_3.jpg
As seen in NZ?
And Tresco and Devon and possibly parts of Dorset. ;-) But yes,
they were all over parts of NZ, growing like weeds, you're quite
right. I remember them in the North Island but can't recall if we
saw them in the South Island but if we did, I'd think it would have
been the northern part where it's warmer. There's another nice one
that grows more like a shrubby candelabra, holding its branches
upwards. I'm very fond of that one which is Echium fastuosum.

Some of the houses along the coast at Motueka had splendid examples.
Visiting Isles of Scilly in September for first time so look forward
to seeing them.

Oh we spent a few days in that area and just loved it. I remember we
had lunch on the waterside there a couple of times and that is one of
the several dozen "I could live there" places in NZ that I fell in love
with. If you have time on your way to or from Scilly (if you're going
by road) do call in and see us. We're hoping to go to Tresco for
about a week in May, if things going on here allow us to do that. I
think you'll love it there and the smaller islands bring a sort of
balance and sanity back to life-as-it-should-be, IMO.

Will try and do that. In the meantime enjoy your visit next month; may
the sun shine and the winds be gentle.

--
Gopher .... I know my place!