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Echium candicans

Echium candicans
Pride of Madeira, Giant Vipers Bugloss

4,2/5
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The plant arrived in very bad condition, with a broken branch and crushed foliage... Very disappointed!

Sébastien, 24/03/2024

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This Echium, native to Madeira, is an exotic perennial plant, very ornamental but frost-sensitive. It forms a bushy clump 1.50m (5ft) high and 3m (10ft) wide in two to three seasons, adorned with hairy green-grey foliage, from which beautiful blue spikes emerge in spring. Not very hardy, it appreciates warmth, full sun, well-drained to dry soils, and the seaside.
Flower size
25 cm
Height at maturity
1.50 m
Spread at maturity
3 m
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Hardy down to -4°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil
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Best planting time March to April
Recommended planting time March to May
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Flowering time March to June
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Description

Echium candicans (syn.fastuosum) is a very beautiful wild viper's bugloss, a botanical species of great beauty, native to the island of Madeira. Its spring to summer flowering is spectacular, in the form of long blue dense spikes, composed of a multitude of small, white to sapphire blue and blue-violet flowers, mixed with white bristles. Above a large tuft covered with grey-green foliage and bristles, a cloud of pollinators wil tirelessly flutter, indifferent to the sweltering heat. It will find a place in embankments, rockeries, borders, and natural-inspired flower beds in regions without severe frosts.

 

Echium candicans is a shrubby plant with soft wood and a taproot from the family Boraginaceae, native to Madeira, off the coast of Portugal. This plant forms a large, dense bush the first year, 1.50m (5ft) tall and 2.50m (8ft) to 3m (10ft) wide, and blooms from the second or third year. This short-lived perennial disappears after 5 to 7 years but self-seeds in light or rocky soil. The grey-green curly, lanceolate foliage with reddish tips, is covered with stiff hairs that give it a greyish appearance and can sometimes be irritating to the skin. The leaves are gathered in large rosettes at the ends of the branches. Flowering takes place from March to May-June (depending on the climate), in the form of magnificent blue spikes, 20 to 50cm (8 to 20in) long, standing above the foliage and visible from afar. It is impossible not to notice them, even when surrounded by greenery or dried foliage. This is probably because the tiny 12mm (1in) diameter flowers adopt different shades ranging from white to violet and are enhanced by pink to crimson stamens. This plant can withstand temperatures slightly below -2°C (28.4°F), in perfectly drained soil, and tolerates drought well.

 

Madeiran viper's bugloss is a robust plant in mild climates and by the sea. It tolerates sea spray and poor and chalky soils, as long as they are properly drained, but requires full sun to thrive. It is used in large rockeries, well-drained flower beds, and dry gardens. It can be associated in natural areas with Damask Nigella, perennial flax, ammi, sainfoin, alfalfa, annual cornflowers, phacelia, and tuberous vetch. Paired with red or blue shrubby salvias, Salvia leucantha, Aloe arborescens, and Ebenus cretica with their pink and fluffy spikes, on a dry slope in a rockery, it forms a superb combination. This plant also performs well in a very large pot that can be stored away in winter. It is remarkably rich in nectar and will continuously produce nectar, providing a precious source of food for pollinators. Echium honey has sought-after qualities; a beautiful amber colour, a low tendency to crystallize, and a sweet, floral fragrance.

 

In the Middle Ages, proponents of the doctrine of signatures attributed anti-venom properties to Echium due to the stems' remblance to snakeskin, and the fruits resembling a viper's head.

Echium candicans in pictures

Echium candicans (Flowering) Flowering
Echium candicans (Foliage) Foliage
Echium candicans (Plant habit) Plant habit

Flowering

Flower colour blue
Flowering time March to June
Inflorescence Spike
Flower size 25 cm
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators

Foliage

Foliage persistence Semi-evergreen
Foliage colour green

Plant habit

Height at maturity 1.50 m
Spread at maturity 3 m
Growth rate fast

Botanical data

Genus

Echium

Species

candicans

Family

Boraginaceae

Other common names

Pride of Madeira, Giant Vipers Bugloss

Origin

Mediterranean

Product reference833022

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Planting and care

Echiums prefer hot and sunny places, and will live longer in dry, poor, sandy, rocky, even limestone, very well-drained soil, than in moist and rich soil. They are more majestic in the latter case, however, they cannot tolerate more than one season in heavy, compact and wet soil. They are best planted in September-October in a warm climate, while the beginning of spring will be preferred in the north.

Echium candicans suffers from temperatures below 0°C (32°F), but it is capable of withstanding short frosts of around -5°C (23°F) in well-drained soil, dry in winter. It tolerates slightly acidic to neutral soils and likes deep, rich, sandy and limestone soils. It is an excellent plant for mild coastal gardens. Watering is unnecessary in summer, even in dry climates, in open ground. It needs a large pot due to its significant growth. Reduce watering in winter and store frost-free in a very bright room. Its lifespan is short, even in a Mediterranean climate, but it easily self-seeds in light soil.

 

Propagate by seed-sowing in summer under a frame, or semi-woody stem cuttings in summer, the tips of branches (10cm (4in)) that have not borne flowers. Overwinter the cuttings frost-free for planting in spring.

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Planting period

Best planting time March to April
Recommended planting time March to May

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery
Type of use Border, Container, Slope, Greenhouse
Hardiness Hardy down to -4°C (USDA zone 9b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 5 per m2
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Neutral, Calcareous
Soil type Chalky (poor, alkaline and well-drained), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Very well drained, rather poor..

Care

Pruning instructions Remove the spikes of faded flowers if you want to avoid self-seeding. Never prune below the last leaves, into old wood.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time September
Disease resistance Very good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground
4,2/5
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