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Blue Steeple Tower of Jewels, Tree Echium, Pine Echium Seeds (Echium pininana) Price for Package of 5 seeds. Echium pininana, the  tree echium,  pine echium  or  giant viper's-bugloss, is a  species  of  flowering plant  in the borage family Boraginaceae. It is endemic to the  Canary Islands, where it is restricted to the island of  La Palma.  It is cultivated in gardens of  Britain  and  Ireland, and it has naturalized along the northern California coast in San Mateo and Mendocino Counties. Its native habitat is  laurel forests, where it is now endangered through  habitat loss. The Latin  specific epithet  pininana  means “small pine”,  though  E. pininana  is neither closely related to the pine, nor does it resemble that plant. It is a  biennial  or triennial, showing little more than leaf in the first year, but subsequently producing a dense, 4 metres (13 ft) high (potentially) flower spike that carries a dense mass of leaves and small blue  flowers. The plant is recommended for the southern maritime counties of  England, the  Channel Islands  and the  Scilly Isles. There are, however, reports of successful cultivation in the  English Midlands  and  Yorkshire, albeit in favourable locations. Specimens are also grown in  Dublin  gardens and in the  Irish National Botanic Gardens  at  Glasnevin. The plant also grows readily in  North Wales  where it seeds very widely. Although  E. pininana  is  half-hardy  in Britain and Ireland, it will self-seed to form clusters of plants, and it is suggested that by  natural selection  a hardier variety will emerge.[4]  The plant is most vulnerable to frosts in its first year. Because of its large leaves when partly grown, it is also very susceptible to wind damage. Hence a sheltered garden position is essential. This plant has gained the  Royal Horticultural Society’s  Award of Garden Merit. PROPAGATION Echiums can be raised from seed but most will take 2-3 years to flower. The best time to sow is April-June and seed should be only lightly covered, preferably with vermiculite, and not over watered. In the wild the conditions are hot days/cool nights and constant heat could cause them to fail, so move into a cool position at night. Echium produce lots of seed, especially the monocarpic species, and in a mild winter they may germinate in the ground. If you collect your own seed be aware that the fruit is in the form of a nutlet containing four individual seeds, and it is advisable not to separate them as this could cause damage. Also be aware that cross pollination may produce variations in colour. Cuttings can be taken from the shrubby species in late May/June, immediately after flowering. Cutting back into the green stem should produce side shoots for cuttings. The trick with cuttings is a careful balance of watering to avoid rotting off.

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