Happy to say a colony of Echium wildprettii is becoming established in South London- in the vicinity of my front garden. Known as the 'The Tower of Jewels' the species hails from the Canary Islands. They made their way to this spot via a seedling given to me by one of the gardeners at the South London Botanical Institute. 

 Giant Echiums are triennial and that specimen flowered in 2020 shedding copious seed; its progeny have been appearing over the past few years. Every 'jewel' is a flower and the tower pulsates with bees...