Echium Candicans (Pride of Madeira)

Has anybody here ever propagated Echium Candicans from cuttings? They are blooming so beautifully everywhere and it would be so esy to get a cutting, I just have no clue how to do it!

Wow, that is beautiful, I so wish I could grow something like that. After bloom does it show new growth? If so I would let that new growth get a little bit stiffer than brand new growth and then take a softwood cutting. I have a great propagation book let me take a look at what it says.


Well, I looked and I see that it only talks about sowing seed from echiums. I wish I could be more help. I have seen this plant while visiting my sister in northern California.

I found this; hope it helps. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1940/

Lenjo, it's so beautiful isn't it? Over here it's considered a street median plant! Can you believe I actually never got close enough to see how it grows? I will try to get a cutting, thanks for the info! You seem to know about propagation, how do you get your cuttings to root?

I took a class on propagation at the community college and I also have a wonderful book, Plant Propagation by Alan Toogood. I use Dip N'Grow as my rooting hormone and pumice as my medium I stick into and I have a heating cable for bottom heat which seems to be a big help. My sister lives in Northern California and I love visiting her area as I see many different things from here where we do get hard frosts. I have brought home slips of many different things and had some great luck rooting them, like the tibouchina, a lavatera bicolor, anisodentia, and others. I bought this echium plant when I was there last and it was just a small 4 inch pot start and it was still early here like when we could still have frost and I put it out into a building where we once had an office but now use as storage as I knew it would not freeze there. I promptly forgot all about it. I was sick when I remembered it, it was unretrievably dead. So on my next visit to her, I will look for this again.

Well, I hope you have great luck getting it started. I have a bit of zone envy, oh the bottle brushes and oleanders you have,

Thanks Lenjo, I will try! By the way I should get one of those books to...
ps: I also have zone envy! I wish I could grow Hostas! lol!

You could also go out & do a little midnight digging & transplant a couple clumps.

Great idea! Do you think they have deep roots?

robcorreia, I took a cutting off of my E. candicans last fall, kept it on heat and it's getting bushy.
I got some E. vulgare 'Blue Bedder' last summer, and it self-seeded all over the place. As we had weather below -10 this winter, I doubt they'll have survived. I just love Echium- SO easy to grow from seed : )

Oops- I meant to attach a pic of the cutting:

If I could just stop hitting 'enter' too quickly LOL

How cute! Was this a soft cutting? I never really know what I should be cutting...let me know?

For softwood cuttings you usually take new growth but wait till it hardens some.

Mine was hardened growth. I had a leggy plant, and took some cuttings out of curiosity. The mother plant sprouted back. I'll try to get a pic tomorrow for you showing the pathetic mama : )

Thanks! Did you just stick it in the ground or in a pot with special soil, etc? I think I need to learn some more about propagation!!

I think I may have just stuck it in some sandy potting mix out of curiosity. I dip cuttings in root hormone powder, so that was probably involved.

I have the rooting hormone at home. I will give it a shot!

Roberta, why don't you just come to either weegy12's BBQ at her iris farm this Saturday, or to the Roundup at drdon's in June and I can give you 1 gallon echiums....so much easier..I have done them from cuttings, but these are volunteer seedlings.

Thanks for the offer I appreciate it! I wasn't even aware of those 2 events....where are they taking place?

Go check the CA forum...there are a bunch of stickies for the Roundup and Weegy's iris party should be near the top of the page too.

will do!

We're meeting at weegy's this Saturday for a small roundup/ Potluck BBQ. There will be maybe 13 or so of us there to see weegy's iris in bloom. Then the annual Roundup at drdon's has anywhere from 30-60 people...more focus on plant trading. We had a potluck in Orange at twin lake chef's (Arlene) a couple of months ago. We ALWAYS have good food! Try to make it. Always a good time.

That's a beautiful clump of madeira you have there, I've tried to grow this, it's not hardy here. it's quite a beautiful plant though

It's gorgeous, it must be easy here in san diego, its everywhere!

It's everywhere here too. I think it's even considered borderline invasive by the coast because it does so well. It loves our Mediterranean climate with the dry summers and not too cold winters.

Would anybody want to see me a little old start or piece for postage?

If mine makes seeds (and if I can figure out the right way and the right time to collect them!) I can send you some later in the year.

I am planning on getting a cutting this weekend from down the street. I bought perlite for what will be my Nth attempt at making a cutting root.... AND survive, lol

I had an aloe in a pot sitting close to the echium at the last house I lived in. When I moved in September I discovered this really cut little seedling in with the aloe. It's getting big already and I just emptied the pot into the ground so as not to disturb the roots. The echium will grow up with an aloe at its feet. Recently I drove by the old house and saw that the new owners had cut the echium down.....I'm so happy to have one of its babies. They really are a spectacular, though ubiquitous around here, plant.

I would also love a start of this plant, I can put it in the heated greenhouse over the winter. I looked online but only one place sells it and they are out. I will trade whatever you would like from my list for a cutting. :::begging:: lol.
Kathy

I checked Plant Scout and Annie's Annuals looks like they have it available http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=377&account=none
And JL Hudson has seeds http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistE.htm

thank you, I will order one, ( I am pathetic), lol.
Kathy

Kathy, anniesannuals is a great place to buy anything. I want to try a cutting just because it's easily available...but if I'm not successful I'll have to buy it! I'd be glad to send you a cutting but it would not be rooted, do you think that would survive the mail?

How about you try to root it and if you have good luck with it I will try. I am just learning to root, and I have only been successful with my variegated forcythia. I keep trying though, lol. Keep us updated on how the rooting is going and good luck! I would love to try it one day.
Kathy

OK, done! I went to my friend's home today and guess what I saw? ta-da!!! lol! I got a nice big softwood cutting in perlite now! Now let's all pray it survives, (haha!)
Guspuppy, if I get it to root, I will gladly send you a rooted cutting from this one ok?

That sounds wonderrful!! ROOT ROOT ROOT
there, I was chanting for you, lol.
Kathy

O oh...what an idiot I am!!! argh!!! I left the cutting outside and it totally wilted in the heat we had over the weekend! (it was around 90F!) I hope it survives, I put it back in water inside...