OT - Pride of Madeira

13 years ago

After the beautiful Carmel Mission photos - I am curious to hear more about this plant. oes anyone grow it? Any reputable vendors?

Thank you.

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Comments (7)

windeaux
13 years ago
PoM (Echium candicans) is a striking plant that apparently grows easily from seed. Unfourtunately, I don't think it thrives anywhere in the US except in California -- where it thrives VERY well. I tried it and failed. I was hoping that it would be a spikey blue presence in my garden since Delphiniums are so difficult in my climate. It wasn't to be . . . So, I grow a few Delphiums as annuals, and settle for Larkspur and Salvia for blue spikes.
mashamcl
13 years ago
I have not seen Pride of Madeira for sale where I am (inland UDA zone 9b, Sunset 15). I am looking at Sunset Western Gardening Book now - "biennials or shrubby perennials. Striking form and flower clusters. All take full sun, do well in dry poor soil, but need good drainage. All are excellent for seacoast gardens. Very drought tolerant in zones 15-17, 22-24. Attract bees. Flower spikes can be killed off by spring frosts in inland areas". PoM is Echium fastuosum.

Coastal climate here is cool summers and very mild frost-free winters. I agree with windeaux that it is probably very difficult to find another area suitable for growing it.

Masha
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I've seen clumps of it blooming along the bluff in Magnolia but not for a while now :-) I tried it 3 years in a row and even got the things to overwinter a couple of times before a late spring frost cut them back. Based on my limited but futile attempts, I'd say unless you have a large greenhouse, chances are not good for success. It takes two seasons before it blooms and really would like as close to a frost-free winter as possible, so overwintering them in a protected location is pretty necessary. Or at least it has been for the past few winters :-) And even grown in a container (as mine were), this rapidly becomes a BIG plant, so a large protected space - like a greenhouse - is best.
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hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
13 years ago
It suffers somewhat away from the coast here, like many plants native to the islands of the Mediterranean. Lots of them are rocky-coast plants so they get along more on the moist coastal air and cool conditions then on water to their roots, hence the need for good drainage Sunset 17 and 24 are perfect. 23 not quite as good. They appear to be short lived here in 23. There were a few in the neighborhood that were magnificent for two or three years but they have since died.
cemeteryrose
13 years ago
We can't get it to survive more than a year or two here in Sacramento. Too cold in the winter, and most of our soil is too poorly drained. What a shame - it's so striking.
Anita
aimeekitty
13 years ago
They offer it for sale at my local nursery in the kinda-sorta drought-tolerant section... I'm not sure how many differently sized varieties there are, but some of them get HUGE, like 8 feet tall huge. I'm in zone 18... but I've never tried to grow them, mainly because I was concerned about large size.

also, just because my nursery has them doesn't nessesarily mean that they do well in my inland socal clim?
kstrong
13 years ago
I'm in a cool coastal (fog every day) southern California canyon and there's one down the street from me that gets zero care and has been happy on the side of the street -- a slope -- for at least ten years. So this must be ideal for it, climatewise. But it is pretty only one month out of the year -- the rest of the time, the blooms are "past their peak" and look awful, and they just stay on the plant until subsumed by next year's bloom. I wouldn't plant it on purpose even here.
sfokay
13 years ago
The best place to see these echiums is the Monterey bay area. There is a huge coastal walking trail that has many, many echiums blooming in the spring. The purples and blues are wonderful. They get no water and are very happy.
They also have huge mounds of aloe arborescens that bloom like candles on a birthday cake in the winter when one is not expecting blooms. To walk along the ocean with all this beauty is very good for the soul.
I have been able to grow both plants at my home -Sunset 17. As a transplanted midwesterer (Iowa) I was stunned to see these gorgeous plants in winter. Karen