Echium pininana Seeds - Tower of Jewels

Echium pininana, also known as Pride of Tenerife or Tower of Jewels, is a huge biennial plant native to the Canary Islands. It is exotic both in appearance and temperament. In their second or third year, plants produce a gigantic inflorescence, which rises up from a rosette of narrow, silver-green leaves and forms a towering column of small blue and pink flowers interspersed with small silvery leaves. The blooms are followed by an abundance of seeds, which self-sow easily in light soil. This tender, heat-loving plant thrives in full sun, in well-drained to dry soil and a sheltered location such as a walled garden. This very architectural plant brings eye-catching originality to large slopes or seaside gardens.

Echium pininana is a biennial or triennial plant belonging to the buttercup or Ranunculaceae family. It is native to Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. In its first year, it forms a rosette of beautiful silver-green, slightly hairy lanceolate leaves. The following year, in the spring, it produces an amazing 3-4-metre-tall inflorescence, covered in small pink or bluish-purple flowers interspersed with small, narrow, silver-green leaves. The nectar-filled blooms are loved by honey-producing insects and pollinators. They give way to brown fruits filled with seeds that germinate easily in light soil.

Pride of Tenerife is a sensational plant that will not fail to impress. It is best planted in coastal gardens that are not affected by heavy frosts and are sheltered from strong winds which could break the monumental blooms. It thrives in poor, dry to arid soils and will perform well on large slopes or in the background of flower beds. It is essential to provide it with full sun and enough space to grow. In an exotic garden, it combines well with Euphorbia characias, Euphorbia mellifera, Giant fennel, Giant scabious, Melianthus major or hybrid mullein.