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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

I've grown a triffid

22 replies

HMSSophie · 18/05/2020 11:32

What on Earth is this!?
It's about 7 foot tall. Swarming with bees. It started growing last year, no flowers, I couldn't be bothered to uproot it... and now this!!

I've grown a triffid
I've grown a triffid
OP posts:
Glittercandle · 18/05/2020 11:33

No idea but am interested to know.

ThomasHardyPerennial · 18/05/2020 11:34

I think it's a type of Echium.

PotteringAlong · 18/05/2020 11:35

That’s cool!

annonymousse · 18/05/2020 11:36

It's a beanstalk and a giant lives at the top. 😂😂

Haggisfish · 18/05/2020 11:37

They are really common in the south west -it reminds me of Cornwall.

steppemum · 18/05/2020 11:39

It's amazing!
no idea what it is

roundtwist · 18/05/2020 11:59

I agree with @ThomasHardyPerennial looks like a echium

Windyatthebeach · 18/05/2020 12:01

You could rent it out to eat mil's!!
Grin

HMSSophie · 18/05/2020 12:02

Oh well done ThomasHardy it is indeed an Echium! Echium Snowflower - rare :)

AKA "white giant bugloss".

Mumsnet, you just gotta love it

OP posts:
ThomasHardyPerennial · 18/05/2020 12:05

Will you keep it in your garden, Op? I would love the space to grow something like that! Smile

TheGlaikitRambler · 18/05/2020 12:22

Did it look like this to begin with? I'm not sure what it is!

I've grown a triffid
Beebumble2 · 18/05/2020 13:15

Glaik that’s a Lilley . Looks as if it will be a good one. Just keep an eye out for red Lilley beetle. Remove at once if you spot one, it will destroy the plant.

Roseburn · 18/05/2020 13:32

OP - that's truly magnificent. I have total triffid envy!

ErrolTheDragon · 18/05/2020 14:13

Oh wow! Grin

GoddessArtemis · 18/05/2020 21:02

That's beautiful. We grow all types of Echium, we started off with 2 and now have loads that come up every year, the bees love them. If you're lucky they will set seed and you'll have them next year 😁

sarahc336 · 18/05/2020 21:07

Wow how impressive, not sure it would fit into most gardens though, what will you do with it? Smile

weepingwillow22 · 18/05/2020 21:07

Wow, that is really impressive OP.

You have done really well getting it to grow. They sound quite fussy and not very cold tolerant
architecturalplants.com/plants/id/echium-pininiana

FromIbizaToTheNorfolkMaud · 19/05/2020 10:20

I'm in a very urban area and echium pininana grow well here - they like the urban heat bubble - although they take a third year to flower. They self-seed into cracks in the pavement.

HMSSophie · 20/05/2020 21:14

How interesting! I bought the house 18 months ago so I'm in my second Sumer here. Previous owners were keen gardeners and my garden is absolutely gorgeous thanks to them. I'm kind of ok as a gardener but these plants (I have two - smug) were simply something I had never ever seen before. [saunters off proudly]

OP posts:
OneNewName · 20/05/2020 21:59

You could rent it out to eat mil's!!

If you're in London you could rent it out as an Airbnb!

littlemeitslyn · 20/05/2020 22:01
Grin
Boringnamechanging · 20/05/2020 22:02

They are echium they are biennial, first year they grow small 2/3 foot then in the second year can go to 15ft. They will die after flowering. The new plants will not cope with heavy frost they also don't like to be cold and wet.

If you live in a cold area dig up some (small ones) and put in deep pots to over winter in a sheltered area mainly keen them from getting cold and wet. When you dig them up and put in a pot they will flop and look like you've killed them for a while.

We're in a mild area (on the coast so fairly get frosts) on sandy soil, they grow like weeds here now.

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