We regularly post pics other then brugs. Yours are gorgeous and I'm sure everyone will enjoy them. I still can't get over your echium wildpretii. I think it was Eloise that had a blue flowered variety. I can't remember the cultivar but it's very similar. My Isopogon formosus seeds haven't sprouted but I haven't given up yet. That's such a cool looking shrub. You have some great plants.

Hi Karyn,

Maybe Eloise has/had E. pininana or the hybrid between the two? What's strange is that I've never seen E. wildpretii in bloom in the local area, except at the Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. They do sell them at the local nurseries sometimes (those that carry Annie's Annuals plants).

The E. wildpretii below should bloom next year--same batch of seedlings, but it's taking longer. I'm hoping it will save some of its side rosettes (it has 5) and that those bloom as well. It's not common for them to be multibranched like that, but that's a long story. All of my seedlings were multibranhed; the one above lost the side rosettes early on.

Crystal has had success rooting Isopogon formosus--she says it's easy. My first attempt failed.

{{gwi:490546}}

I'm surprised that the echiums aren't more widly grown there. It's such a beautiful plant and pretty easy to grow in the right zone. I've been able to start them from seed and keep them going for a while but lose them over the winter in the GH.

Great pix, Randy. Thanks for sharing!

Theresa

Karyn,

You see a small number of Echium candicans/fastuosum, aka "Pride of Madeira". Even that you see many more on the coast and in San Francisco. Its a heavily branched bush and a perennial, unlike E. wildpretii, which is monocarpic and frequently biennial. I'm wondering whether the unbloomed multibranched E. wildpretii, if it doesn't bloom all at once, might turn out to be a short-lived perennial.

I always thought "wildpretii" was such a great name for the plant. Then I found out it was named after Dr. Wildpret, and is not a descriptive name. I just looked it up--Wildpret's full name is Dr. Wolfredo Wildpret de la Torre. They picked an appropriate plant to name after him with a full last name like that (torre = tower). The common name for the plant is "tower of jewels".

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of Echium candicans on Flickr

Randy, you have such cool plants. Isopogon formosus looks very interesting. I am curios to see Arislolochia trilobata's flowers.
Echium wildpretii looks like a plant I have (and do not know the name )who makes blue flowers. Right now doesn't have any buds/flowers. I'll post a picture when will have some.
Thanks for sharing.

Pat

Very cool plants. I love seeing things we don't have here, lol. Thanks for posting the pics.