Echium 'Blue Steeple'
viper's bugloss 'Blue Steeple'
A triennial plant that in its first and second year forms a rosette to 60cm across, composed of rough, lance-shaped leaves. In its third summer it throws up a huge (4m) flower spike, densely packed with thousands of small purple-blue flowers; these are irrisistible to bees
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Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.5–1 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Blue Purple | Green | ||
| Autumn | Green | |||
| Winter | Green |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H3Botanical details
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Potentially harmful
- Skin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
- Genus
Echium can be annuals, biennials, evergreen perennials or shrubs, with simple, coarsely hairy leaves and funnel-shaped flowers borne in panicles or dense spikes in summer
- Name status
Unresolved
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in moderately fertile, freely-draining soil in a sheltered, sunny, warm site. Protect from winter frosts in-situ using horticultural fleece
Propagation
Propagate by seed sown at 13-16°C in summer, overwintering seedlings at 5-7°C
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Architectural
- City and courtyard gardens
- Gravel garden
- Mediterranean climate plants
- Sub-tropical
- Wildlife gardens
- Conservatory and greenhouse
- Flower borders and beds
- Wall side borders
Pruning
No pruning required
Pests
May be susceptible to slugs or glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite under glass
Diseases
Generally disease-free
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.