I have a plant I want a bit of help with, i am not sure what its called
either, there is obviously something wrong with it, any ideas appreciated


The link below takes you to a 2mb image, so be patient lol


http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pic...b/DSC00154.JPG

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 17:11:50 +0100, "Rob" wrote:

I have a plant I want a bit of help with, i am not sure what its called
either, there is obviously something wrong with it, any ideas appreciated


The link below takes you to a 2mb image, so be patient lol


http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pic...b/DSC00154.JPG

It looks to me like Ecium pininana, in its first year. Where are you?
It is not hardy in most parts of UK.
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6227/1
The problem looks like scorch from recent hot sun.

Pam in Bristol

On 28/7/05 17:35, in article ,
"Pam Moore" wrote:

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 17:11:50 +0100, "Rob" wrote:

I have a plant I want a bit of help with, i am not sure what its called
either, there is obviously something wrong with it, any ideas appreciated


The link below takes you to a 2mb image, so be patient lol


http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pic...b/DSC00154.JPG

It looks to me like Ecium pininana, in its first year. Where are you?
It is not hardy in most parts of UK.
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6227/1
The problem looks like scorch from recent hot sun.

Echiums like sun - the ones in Tresco grow wild all over the island, very
exposed to sun, salt, fresh air and only the water nature sends them. I
wonder if it's E. piniana or one of the shrubby ones - whose names I can't
remember at the moment, E. candicans and E. fastuosum, I think!
Its location would be interesting. Perhaps it has some scorch from watering
it in hot sunshine or just too much water, generally?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Rob" wrote
I have a plant I want a bit of help with, i am not sure what its called
either, there is obviously something wrong with it, any ideas appreciated


The link below takes you to a 2mb image, so be patient lol


http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pic...b/DSC00154.JPG

Just a thought. You seem to be building there? Any cement dust blowing
about, especially when you might be spraying the plant with water?

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"Sacha"

It looks to me like Ecium pininana, in its first year. Where are you?
It is not hardy in most parts of UK.
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6227/1
The problem looks like scorch from recent hot sun.

Echiums like sun - the ones in Tresco grow wild all over the island, very
exposed to sun, salt, fresh air and only the water nature sends them. I
wonder if it's E. piniana or one of the shrubby ones - whose names I can't
remember at the moment, E. candicans and E. fastuosum, I think!
Its location would be interesting. Perhaps it has some scorch from
watering
it in hot sunshine or just too much water, generally?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)



Am in Anglesey, North Wales, we have had a lot of sun recently, and quite
warm, but only about a mile from the coast, so that keeps the temps down a
bit, it usually gets sun in the afternoon, its shaded in the morning, I
wasnt even aware that it flowered, it has only been down 1 year, from a
seedling to that monster lol, as for watering, I only ever water when the
sun has gone over the tops of the houses, and its nice and shaded and cool
in the garden, but I will wait a bit longer still now you have mentioned,
any further confirmations on its type appreciated, and help so far am very
greatful for!

On 29/7/05 17:33, in article
, "Rob"
wrote:


"Sacha"

It looks to me like Ecium pininana, in its first year. Where are you?
It is not hardy in most parts of UK.
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6227/1
The problem looks like scorch from recent hot sun.

Echiums like sun - the ones in Tresco grow wild all over the island, very
exposed to sun, salt, fresh air and only the water nature sends them. I
wonder if it's E. piniana or one of the shrubby ones - whose names I can't
remember at the moment, E. candicans and E. fastuosum, I think!
Its location would be interesting. Perhaps it has some scorch from
watering
it in hot sunshine or just too much water, generally?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)



Am in Anglesey, North Wales, we have had a lot of sun recently, and quite
warm, but only about a mile from the coast, so that keeps the temps down a
bit, it usually gets sun in the afternoon, its shaded in the morning, I
wasnt even aware that it flowered, it has only been down 1 year, from a
seedling to that monster lol, as for watering, I only ever water when the
sun has gone over the tops of the houses, and its nice and shaded and cool
in the garden, but I will wait a bit longer still now you have mentioned,
any further confirmations on its type appreciated, and help so far am very
greatful for!


Echium piniana flowers in its second year and then dies. Usually, it leaves
hundreds of seedlings behind. It's a sort of Hilton Hotels for bees who
absolutely mob the flowers, IME. But it does need lengthy sun hours to
make it flower, set seed and do it all again in a year or two. Yours might
be too shaded to do well but all you can do now is wait to see if it will
flower because what you call a 'monster' is nothing I'm afraid - though I
don't want to be discouraging! I had three in a walled garden in Jersey and
each grew to at least 12' in one year, flowered profusely, died and left
behind so many seedlings that I was reduced to begging people to take them
away.
IF yours turns out to be one of the shrubby ones (and I don't think it will)
it doesn't die off but (frost permitting) returns each year.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 17:11:50 +0100, "Rob" wrote:

I have a plant I want a bit of help with, i am not sure what its called
either, there is obviously something wrong with it, any ideas appreciated


The link below takes you to a 2mb image, so be patient lol


http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pic...b/DSC00154.JPG

As Pam says, it looks like Echium pininana. Lots grow in coastal
gardens in west Cornwall (and on waste ground, if the dead plants are
dumped after flowering), and as Sacha says, on Tresco. It comes from
the Canary Islands. It's biennial/triennial, depending on your
definition. Seeds are set in the summer and have usually germinated by
the autumn. They overwinter and then in the second year form a rosette
of dark green leaves on a hairy/prickly trunk, say up to three feet
high. Yours looks as if its at this stage, but the foliage looks
rather yellow-green, compared to the dark green it ought to be. In the
third year, it'll put up its flower spike, anything up to 15 ft. They
produce thousands of seeds, and once you've had one, you have them for
ever!

They like a well-drained soil that retains some moisture, but aren't
fussy about pH. They don't like cold winds but will take salty ones.
They like full sun and will take a light frost.

I wouldn't worry about the tatty lower leaves, they get that way as
the trunk grows, but the top growth looks a bit poorly. Perhaps the
drainage isn't very good, or the soil is poor and they're a bit short
of nitrogen.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net