Echium vulgare 'Blue Bedder'

RHS Plant Profile
viper's bugloss 'Blue Bedder'

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viper's bugloss 'Blue Bedder' RHS
viper's bugloss 'Blue Bedder' RHS

Synonyms

Echium plantagineum L. 'Blue Bedder'

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Annual Biennial
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A vigorous cultivar, at 45cm it is rather shorter than the species, multi-branched, with short, crowded spikes of violet-blue flowers, magenta flushed when fading, and pink buds. Very attractive to pollinating insects

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Boraginaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
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
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow outdoors in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by seed outdoors at 13-16°C (41-45°F), in late summer and overwinter as seedlings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Wildflower meadow
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Prairie planting
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required but flowering can be extended to four months if plants are deadheaded

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs or glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite under glass

Diseases

Generally disease-free