Echium

Echium

* historical archive photo

Echium candicans
A rounded, evergreen shrub, reaching up to 6.5 feet.
The foliage is gray-green.
The bluish-purple flowers are borne during late spring into summer.

Echium fastuosum ( Pride of Madiera )
A fast growing, shrubby perennial, reaching up to 8 x 7 feet, that is native to the island of Madiera.

Echium russicum
A deeply-rooted perennial, reaching up to 2 feet, that is native to grasslands and open pine forests from eastern Europe to the Caucasus.
The leaves are narrowly-elliptical.
The extremely showy, deep red flowers, up to 0.5 inches long, are borne on upright spikes, during early to mid summer.
Hardy zones 6 to 8 on full sun on sandy, well drained soil.

Echium vulgare ( Viper's Bugloss )
A biennial, reaching up to 3.3 feet in height that is naturalized in open sandy or gravelly areas in much of eastern North America ( to as far north as Minaki and Kenora as well as Chapleau in Ontario ). It is native from Europe to central Asia and northern Tibet.
The linear leaves are up to 5 x 0.6 inches in size.
The bright blue flowers, up to 0.6 inches long, are borne on spikes during summer.
Hardy zones 2 to 8 in full sun on sandy well drained soil. Extremely cold tolerant; it thrives as far north as central Manitoba.

* photo taken on July 14 2016 in Lion's Head, Ontario

* vipers bugloss in Lions Head, ON

* photo taken on July 7 2023 @ Bayfield, ON

Echium wildprettii

* photo taken on Aug 24 2017 @ U.S. Botanic Garden, Wash. DC.