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Planting Time

Flowering Time

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Description

A truly dramatic plant for any garden, producing spectacularly tall flower spikes, seemingly appearing from nowhere in late spring and summer, with each one smothered in beautiful flowers that are a magnet for butterflies and other pollinators!

'Pride of Madeira' will grow to around 1m in the first year, then in the second it produces a magnificent floral display. In milder areas, plants can keep growing all year round and, after a frost-free winter, you will see enormous flower spikes. Expect flowering in July or later.

Leaves can be damaged by frost and cold winds, while cold conditions can kill plants in wet ground, so protect them over winter with fleece or a similar product.

A common sight in Cornwall, Echiums are best grown in very well-drained soil or in large pots with plenty of sand or grit for drainage. When growth begins in spring, keep them well watered between May and August, as they develop quickly.

Echiums can self-seed over a small area. Once these seedlings have germinated and overwintered, they too may flower, and a little colony can begin to appear. Truly spectacular and one of the finest plants for attracting pollinating insects into the garden.

Supplied as an established plant in a 2 litre pot, approximately 40-70cm tall, ready to plant.

Top Tips

After flowering, the stalk will quickly brown and die off but don't be in a hurry to cut it down until the autumn to allow the seeds to disperse.
If your plants are shy to bloom, try a high potash feed, and if in pots, move to a larger pot. Also keep well-watered through the summer of their first year to promote flowers in the second year.

Care Information

Grow 'Pride of Madeira' in full sun in soil that is poor to moderately fertile and well-drained - highly fertile soil may reduce flowering.
Established plants are tolerant of drought, wind and salt so make ideal coastal plants - although in times of drought, they do appreciate extra water.
Protect from hard frosts, especially in spring when the flower spikes are beginning to develop.
Tall flower spikes may need additional support.
Touching the foliage may cause a skin irritation, so wear gloves when pruning or handling.

Delivery Information

Our experienced team at the nursery will always carefully package and send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive once you receive and plant them. Although most plants are extremely tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme of weather conditions, we always avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme frosts or heat is forecast. We also avoid dispatching orders over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. If you have ordered a 'pre-order' item, these will be sent out as soon as possible after the quoted dispatch date and we generally ship your entire order with any pre-ordered items. Once your order has been dispatched, we will send you an email with details on how you can track it.

We send most of our orders via a fully tracked courier service with Yodel. We will send you a tracking link as soon as your order has been dispatched. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, we will not require a signature on delivery, and we ask out couriers to leave your item in a safe place ad your delivery address.

*Please note, once your item has been delivered, we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your delivery address. If you have delivery instruction and require our courier to leave your item in a specific place, please let us know - there is an option to leave a message for the courier at the checkout.

For smaller and single-item orders, we may send these via the post with Royal Mail - Tracking will not be available for orders sent via this method.

**Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.

For all orders, a small delivery fee of £4.99 will be charged or spend over £49.99 for FREE Delivery!

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