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Furry leaf plant id please

loliloli Posts: 61

image

The leaves of this plant are furry and the flower is gorgeous. It was in a pot that some herbs had been growing in that died over winter. Any idea what it could be? It matches my sun chair perfectly!!

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,884

    Hi loli. It looks a little bit like echium vulgare (a hungry one as they are usually bigger image). Be careful of the hairs as they can be a skin irritant. Have you noticed the bees flocking round it as echium is one of their favourites.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • loliloli Posts: 61

    I can't say I've noticed many bees they tend to go for my lavender and wallflowers. Thanks for the suggestion and the warning! I'll handle with care. Should I transplant it?

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,884

    I would definitely plant it out and give it a bit of food. Echiums will seed where they are happy. This one is a biennial - like a foxglove. It will produce a rosette of leaves in its first year and then flower in the second.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    plant it out as a potfull and don't disturb the roots, they sulk if you do that.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • loliloli Posts: 61

    Oh is this a poisonous to pets plant? I've avoided foxgloves for this reason. 

    Last edited: 26 May 2016 21:59:27

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,884

    Well I grow them in my garden and my cat hasn't suffered any ill effects similarly with foxgloves. I also grow lilies which are poisonous to cats and I've had several cats over 30 odd years who have lived to a ripe old age.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • loliloli Posts: 61

    Thanks ladybird4, I've a sensible dog but the neighbours cat likes to play in my flowerbeds. Could my plant be purple toadflax Either? I was reading another thread and it looks pretty similar. Pity if it is I really like echiums

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    not purple toadflax

    I think what you've got there is the annual sold as Echium vulgare 'Blue Bedder', rather that the native biennial which is also called Echium vulgare but looks quite different 



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • loliloli Posts: 61

    Thank you again nutcutlet, looks like a positive ID. How do you become so wise!!?image

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    loli says:

    Thank you again nutcutlet, looks like a positive ID. How do you become so wise!!?image

    See original post
    lol. I'm not wise loli, just grown a lot of stuff and recognise it when I see it (mostlyimage)


    In the sticks near Peterborough
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