Giant Echiums were mentioned in a recent entry [26th. May]. I noted that Echium pininana -sometimes called Tree Echium- is naturalising in warmer parts of the country far from its natural habitat of La Palma on the Canary Islands.
 Apparently the various islands host twenty two species but E. pininana is the one that is making itself at home in the UK. The sub-tropical scene above is in fact St. James's Park in the heart of central London. A few minutes walk from the Houses of Parliament and the gates of Buckingham Palace can be found this majestic stand of Tree Echiums that have grown to their full height of 3-4 metres.
 E. pininana has the somewhat unusual characteristic of being triennial. In the first year of growth a small plant grows from seed. In the second year a large rosette of leaves forms on a thick stem about a metre tall. In the third year it reaches full height, throwing up the tree-like spike that is a mass of small blue flowers. Then it dies having first shed thousands of seeds and the cycle begins again.