Echium pininana - Tree echium

This Canary Island viper's bugloss, named Echium pininana, is a tall exotic biennial plant, native to the Canary Islands. When it reaches two or three years old, it develops a spectacular inflorescence at the centre of a large rosette of narrow silver-green leaves. This immense conical column is covered with small blue and pink flowers. After flowering, the plant dies, but it easily self-seeds in light soil. Not very hardy, it appreciates warmth, well-drained to dry soils, sheltered locations, in full sun. Perfect for adding a touch of originality in coastal gardens.

The Echium pininana belongs to the Boraginaceae family and comes from the Canary Islands, notably Las Palmas. It is a biennial species (sometimes triennial), meaning it only flowers once, then dies after producing seeds. During its first year, it develops a rosette of lanceolate leaves, covered with slightly irritating silver hairs. In the second year, in spring, an impressive inflorescence emerges, reaching up to 3 to 4 m in height. In summer, this giant spike is made up of a multitude of small pink or purplish-blue flowers, interspersed with small silver linear leaves. This flowering, highly appreciated by bees and other pollinators, is followed by the formation of brown fruits containing numerous seeds, which easily germinate in light soil. This allows the plant to quickly colonise a favourable area.

A spectacular plant, the Canary Island viper's bugloss does not go unnoticed. It is ideal for sheltered coastal gardens, where it is protected from heavy frosts, as well as from wind that could break its immense inflorescences. It adapts well to Mediterranean climates and thrives in dry to arid soils in summer. It is planted as a single specimen on large slopes, in the background of dry and sunny borders, where it can grow upright. In an exotic-inspired garden, it can be combined with plants like Euphorbia characias, Euphorbia mellifera, the giant fennel (Ferula communis), Melianthus major or agaves.