Echium (Canary Islands' Giant Burgloss)

Endemic perennials growing either as a woody shrub or making a huge rosette (Echium auberianum, Echium pininana, Echium simplex, and Echium wildpretii). These are very different in habit from their Mediterranean annual or biannual relatives. Excellent plants for cultivation in pots or small containers. Keep plants sunny throughout the year, especially in winter. They make impressive, very large inflorescences, sometimes containing several thousand flowers each. Grow well in any well drained, rather inorganic soil (e.g. crushed lava adding some humus).
Sow seeds rather flat some 0.5cm deep in some 10cm ø plastic pots. Seeds do not need direct sun to germinate properly, however it is recommended to not cover seeds too much. Seeds usually cannot be extracted from their dried capsules without destroying them, thus the entire capsule shall be sowed. Each capsule may contain up to 4 small, nut-like seeds. All Echium species require a significant difference between day and night temperature. Keep pots in a cool spot with direct sun, so that during the day the soil heats up to some 20°C to 25°C. At night temperature should fall to some 5°C to 10°C. Germination may be inhibited in most species if pots are kept constantly warm (e. g. in a heated propagator). Keep plants frostfree in winter at a minimum of some 10°C in an always sunny spot. Under cool conditions reduce watering to a minimum, unless grown under heated glass. Usually most species will gain flowering size within 3 to 4 years.
Note: Most Echium species make strong seed-capsules, which contain up to four seeds each. These capsules naturally will not shed their seeds until they fall on the earth. They cannot be separated beforehand without destroying the seeds. From these species 20 capsules (i.e. up to 80 seeds per package) will be delivered. Treat the entire capsule as a single seed. Prick out and separate seedlings as soon as they appear.
For more cultivation information please have at look at this page: Sowing and cultivation of Macaronesian Echium species.
20 seeds per package.

Legal note: In accordance with national German laws (BNatSchG and BArtSchV) as well as European (Bern Convention) international conventions (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - CITES) we do not sell any wild collected material such as seeds from protected plants. Seeds from protected plants exclusively derives from horticulturally artificially propagated plants in Germany respectively Lebanon only, where plants have been taken into cultivation in the late 70ies and early 80ies of the last century. All hybrid plants derived from these artificially propagated plants are not protected.