Tree Echium (Echium pininana) winter Maintenance and caterpillar Damage

Ahh, Tree Echiums or as I clearly like to call them 'Giant Echiums', which of course they are! The problem with growing them on the south coast of England is that they live on the very edge of where they can survive. This means that a harsh winter here can really damage them. So in order to survive into the following season they will need some frost protection - which creates its own problem. When left hidden under cover, it is possible that caterpillars are in there too meaning that they can happily munch on the succulent new growth throughout the winter leaving you with a damaged, poor quality specimen come the spring!.
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[@malikkhalid6787]

Nice jee video hallo

[@walkingtalkinggardeners]

Thank you Malik. Simon

[@gardenwitheden]

Great video, I subscribed, BTW I also have a small gardening channel! 🌱🌱

[@walkingtalkinggardeners]

Good luck with your channel, I couldn't get your thumb nail to link back to your homepage. But I wish you all the best for the upcoming season. Simon

[@stu1956]

Have you tried flower pot on top 2 lots of fleece 2 x 30 gsm clear wheelie bin liner netting when hold in down by tying wire or string I did this last month Minus 5 no damage on all 8 to flower 2024 Height 3 to 5 foot. Plastic bag sweats and rots the growing tip.

[@walkingtalkinggardeners]

Thanks for sharing this technique Stu, that's great information. I just checked over my echium crowns yesterday and found another couple of caterpillars! I hope you don't have that issue where you are. Kind regards Simon

[@nathanaeldegryse]

I live in north of France and been trying to grow those Echiumfor 3 years now …even protecting them with covers during winter they all died 😢….got them from my mum s garden in Britanny near English Channel islands and she succeed to get some and protect them over winter ❄️…..but definitely a no go in north of France …..

[@walkingtalkinggardeners]

Hi Nathaniel, sadly, you don't have the cold protection of the Gulf stream as we do on the south and west of the UK. However, there is something you can do. Grow them in a large container and bring them in under protection over the winter, so that temps don't go below 3 Celsius. They can take -3 to -5 for short periods but its best to try and avoid it to protect the single flower spike. Assuming they are big enough to flower in the second year, they can be planted out as they die after flowering beforethe following winter arrives. Simon