Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans)
Discover the striking Echium candicans, Pride of Madeira, known for its tall blue flower spikes and drought tolerance.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
The Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) is a spectacular, woody subshrub highly valued for its dramatic summer flower display. It provides vertical interest and stunning color in warm-climate landscapes, establishing quickly into a mounding form. This plant is endemic to the island of Madeira, lending it exceptional resilience once established.
As a rapid-growing, evergreen feature, Echium candicans produces large, spire-like terminal panicles packed with small but abundant bluish-purple flowers set off by reddish stamens. While often considered a short-lived perennial or biennial, Pride of Madeira readily self-seeds, ensuring its presence continues year after year in suitable environments.
Gardeners turn to the Pride of Madeira for its ability to thrive in challenging conditions, particularly dry, sunny locations. Its large, hairy, gray-green leaves contrast beautifully with the vibrant summer blooms, making it a focal point in informal or coastal garden designs.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Boraginaceae
- Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
- Native Range: Madeira
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 9-11
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 5-6 ft
- Spread: 6-10 ft
- Bloom Time: May to August
- Bloom Description: Bluish purple to white
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Water Needs: Dry to medium
- Maintenance Level: Medium
How to Grow
The Echium candicans thrives when planted in spring after the last threat of frost, positioning it where it receives full sun exposure throughout the day. Success depends heavily on providing moderately fertile, well-drained soil. This plant tolerates average soils but absolutely requires drainage to prevent root issues, given its preference for dry to medium moisture levels.
Care for this species is relatively low once mature, perfectly suiting xeriscaping or dry border designs. Water moderately during its first year to establish strong roots, but established specimens exhibit excellent drought tolerance. Minimal fertilization is generally required; over-feeding can lead to weak, floppy growth rather than the desired compact, shrubby habit.
As this plant often behaves as a biennial, expect a basal rosette of foliage in the first year followed by flowering spikes in the second. After flowering, established plants may benefit from light pruning to shape the structure, although many gardeners allow it to set seed. Echium candicans tolerates temperatures as low as 20-25 degrees F, though winter protection may be advisable near the colder edges of Zone 9.
Landscape Uses
The Pride of Madeira excels in naturalized settings where its slightly wild, architectural form can be appreciated without the need for perfect manicuring. It is highly recommended for slopes, hillsides, and informal areas, blending rugged texture with brilliant summer color.
Use this shrub to define the back of informal borders or to add dramatic height in cottage gardens. The structure of the Echium candicans provides a strong vertical element that contrasts well with softer, mounding perennials or grasses. Its robust nature supports its use in wild gardens, providing season-long visual interest.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Echium candicans, commonly known as Pride of Madeira, is an evergreen, mounding, rapid-growing, biennial or short-lived perennial subshrub that typically matures to 5-6’ tall spreading to 6-10’ wide. It is endemic to the island of Madiera where it grows on rocky cliffs and terraces in the Central Mountain Massif at elevations ranging from 2,500’ to 4,600’. In the second year, woody, unbranched, spire-like flowering stalks rise above the foliage rosette, bearing abundant bluish-purple to white flowers with protruding reddish stamens. The ancient Greek derivation of Echium relates to the viper, referencing the shape of the nutlets, which resemble a viper’s head.
Tolerances
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
Potential Problems
This plant is generally robust, reporting no known serious insect or disease problems requiring intensive management outdoors. For plants grown closer to human activity or indoors, watch for slugs, which may appear on outer foliage. Indoor specimens are more susceptible to piercing-sucking pests such as spider mites and whiteflies. Regular inspection and prompt treatment with insecticidal soap should manage minor pest issues effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Pride of Madeira suitable for?
The Pride of Madeira is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 9 through 11.
How large does Echium candicans grow?
This plant typically reaches a mature height of 5 to 6 feet and spreads outward to cover an area between 6 and 10 feet wide.
When does Echium candicans bloom?
The spectacular blooms of Echium candicans usually appear from May through August, presenting spires of captivating bluish purple to white flowers.
What sun exposure does Pride of Madeira need?
Echium candicans requires full sun exposure to achieve its best growth and most prolific flowering season.
Conclusion
The Pride of Madeira offers undeniable, dramatic impact and exceptional resilience, particularly in hot, dry landscapes, making it a treasured addition for gardeners zoned 9 and above. Ensure you site your Echium candicans where it receives maximum sunlight and excellent drainage to guarantee an impressive display from May to August. Check your local hardiness zone before planting this magnificent shrub.
Companion Planting
When designing beds featuring the Pride of Madeira, focus on drought-tolerant companions that echo its architectural structure or provide textural contrast. Plants that enjoy well-drained, leaner soils are ideal partners. Consider using silvery-leaved succulents or Mediterranean herbs like Lavender (Lavandula) or Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), as they share similar cultural needs. For added color beneath the towering blue spikes, silvery grey-leafed Artemisia or low-growing Sedums make excellent groundcovers that do not compete aggressively for moisture.
Propagation Tips
While Echium candicans easily naturalizes by seed, extending its presence or starting new plants without relying on self-seeding requires attention to propagation methods. Harvesting the small nutlets after the flowers fade is possible, but germination can be slow and erratic. A more reliable approach for preserving specific characteristics involves taking semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer or early fall. Treat the base of the cuttings with rooting hormone and place them in a gritty, well-draining medium in a sheltered location; successful rooting leads to sturdy plants ready for placement the following spring.
