topic it's alive! in Community Spirit

it's alive!

davidc4430 — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 06:19:45 GMT

grew this from a tiny seed

its called Echium candicans

saw it online somewhere a few years ago and thought the flowers looked good

its taken 3 years but it starting to flower

Re: it's alive!

nicnacs_4u — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 07:01:00 GMT

@davidc4430 wrote:
grew this from a tiny seed
its called Echium candicans
saw it online somewhere a few years ago and thought the flowers looked good
its taken 3 years but it starting to flower

be nice to see a pic when it`s in full flower and does it have a scent?tia

Re: it's alive!

ambercat16 — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 07:15:31 GMT

Thats a healthy looking plant - well done.

I googled it - it's going to look lovely when the flowers come out. I'd be interested in another photo when it is in flower 🤗

Re: it's alive!

kopenhagen5 — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 07:49:15 GMT

Pride of Madeira.

Re: it's alive!

davidc4430 — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 07:54:59 GMT

i never fully understood how big it would grow as the seeds are like 1mm diamiter

only a couple of months ago i was deciding should i give up and throw it in my green bin or repot it into a larger pot

obviously i repotted it

i will post pictures as it flowers

Re: it's alive!

tasfleur — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 08:05:48 GMT

It's beautiful David, can't wait to see the flowers.

Re: it's alive!

imastawka — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 08:55:08 GMT

Congrats on nurturing it this far. Apparently they like to live near the sea, so you've got

the right area.

I've seen them around my neighbourhood, and they grow very tall , around 6 feet or so - unless you have a dwarf one.

They are a stunning plant in full bloom.

Have you googled it at all?

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.

Also be aware they are highyly toxic - so don't eat it (or let Leroy eat it either)

Re: it's alive!

*kazumi* — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 09:20:37 GMT

My grew to about 2m, and it seeds out freely. Has tall purple spikes of flowers. But the leaves are hairy and make me itch if I brush against them.

Re: it's alive!

lionrose.7 — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 12:17:07 GMT

Yes hairy plants get to me, one bought me out in Blisters.

Doctor asked me what I touched I said hairy plant, he thought it could be one of those hairy catapillars "had to go on steroids to get rid of it, so itchy had to bandage it at night so I would not scratch it.

Love it when the doctors say dont scratch, almost impossible at night in your sleep

Re: it's alive!

davidc4430 — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:31:27 GMT

@imastawka wrote:
Congrats on nurturing it this far. Apparently they like to live near the sea, so you've got
the right area.

I've seen them around my neighbourhood, and they grow very tall , around 6 feet or so - unless you have a dwarf one.

They are a stunning plant in full bloom.

Have you googled it at all?

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.
Also be aware they are highyly toxic - so don't eat it (or let Leroy eat it either)

as mine is in a large pot i'm hoping its size remains not too big

dont know if i chop it back will it produce new stems or cark it?

i have now googled it but beyond letting it go its own way not much is said about trimming it back to smaller size.

the flower heads look really quite spectacular and are great for bees, and dont the bees need all the help they can get these days?

Re: it's alive!

peteepie — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 08:39:27 GMT

I don't know about SA, but here in Victoria it's considered a weed.

May seem harsh but as someone who has spent many hours trying to eradicate boxthorn and serrated tussock I'd be destroying it.

Re: it's alive!

imastawka — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:30:46 GMT

Have you actually read up on how many plants are considered weeds in Victoria?

It's a ridicuous amount. Fair enough a plant might be a weed in one area, but all Victoria?

If they were all eradicated, we'd not have much of a garden left. Even a pretty little Hyacinth is a weed apparently

https://www.ari.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/125919/ARI-Technical-Report-287-Advisory-list-of-environmental-weeds-in-Victoria.pdf

Re: it's alive!

peteepie — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:07:55 GMT

Your link pretty much sums up the problem.

It's a shame more people don't take the problem seriously.

Re: it's alive!

*kazumi* — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:18:03 GMT

@peteepie wrote:

I don't know about SA, but here in Victoria it's considered a weed.

May seem harsh but as someone who has spent many hours trying to eradicate boxthorn and serrated tussock I'd be destroying it.

that is interesting but mine came from seeds that I collected from a park where it was part of the landscaped flower beds. This was in the western suburbs, where it is hot and dry, and it was only about 70cm high; I admired them there for years and they I got some seeds from them. Here on Mornington peninsula only 1/2km from the beach, it grew to 2 m, then I cut it down and let one of the babies grow.

Re: it's alive!

*kazumi* — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:46:01 GMT

@imastawka wrote:
Have you actually read up on how many plants are considered weeds in Victoria?

It's a ridicuous amount. Fair enough a plant might be a weed in one area, but all Victoria?

If they were all eradicated, we'd not have much of a garden left. Even a pretty little Hyacinth is a weed apparently

https://www.ari.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/125919/ARI-Technical-Report-287-Advisory-list-of-environmental-weeds-in-Victoria.pdf

So is Kangaroo Paw and Spotty Gum? This is not a list of banned plants, but of plants that potentially could spread.. Many of the plants are widespread in suburbs, and do need bit of control. But basically plants either grow well and could pose a problem if allowed to spread; even natives that are taken from one state to another. And then there are plants that will not thrive.

Re: it's alive!

davidc4430 — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 01:28:17 GMT

where we used to live in the adelaide hills it was a completely legal plant that was so invasive, it just came up everywhere

but as it was cultivated as a valuble plant, its fruit is is squeezed to make a very saleable liquid

what is this plant?

the olive

yes, we had millions of them popping up everywhere

and yet they were being grown in very large fields as the oil is vary valuble

the native bush was full of the darn things, birds would eat the fruit then poop the seeds out all over starting new shrubs

Re: it's alive!

davidc4430 — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 06:05:28 GMT

flower heads are getting bigger

Re: it's alive!

davidc4430 — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 07:04:08 GMT

turning purple now

Re: it's alive!

davidc4430 — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 07:39:02 GMT

i think its reached full bloom size