Overview

Introduce a touch of Mediterranean splendor to your landscape with the magnificent Echium Candicans Star of Madeira. This captivating live plant is renowned for its dramatic appearance, featuring bold, variegated leaves that provide year-round interest. As spring approaches, it graces your garden with spectacular spikes of lavender-blue flowers, creating a truly unforgettable display. Often referred to simply as ‘Star of Madeira’ or ‘Pride of Madeira’, this Echium variety is a standout specimen, perfect for adding architectural form and vibrant hues to borders, rock gardens, or as a focal point in a large container. Our plants are carefully grown and shipped in a 3-gallon pot, ready to thrive in their new home.

The Echium Candicans Star of Madeira is a fast-growing, evergreen shrub that originates from the Canary Islands. Its unique foliage and impressive flower spikes make it a favorite among gardeners seeking drought-tolerant and visually impactful plants. This particular cultivar, ‘Star of Madeira’, is celebrated for its distinctive leaf variegation, which adds an extra layer of ornamental value even when the plant is not in bloom. It’s an excellent choice for coastal gardens or areas with mild winters, providing a lush, exotic feel.

Key Benefits

The Echium Candicans Star of Madeira offers a multitude of benefits, making it an exceptional addition to many garden styles. Its robust nature and striking good looks contribute significantly to its appeal.

• Dramatic Ornamental Appeal: The variegated leaves of this ‘Star of Madeira’ plant provide a bold, architectural statement year-round. Its unique foliage texture and color add depth and interest to any garden space, ensuring visual appeal even outside of its blooming season.
• Stunning Lavender-Blue Flowers: In late spring, the plant produces impressive, cone-shaped flower spikes adorned with countless lavender-blue blossoms. These vibrant flowers are truly show-stopping and can reach several feet in height, creating a spectacular focal point.
• Attracts Pollinators: The abundant flowers are a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, making your garden a lively hub of activity. Planting Echium Candicans Star of Madeira supports local ecosystems and enhances biodiversity.
• Drought-Tolerant and Low Maintenance: Once established, this Echium variety is highly drought-tolerant, requiring minimal watering. It thrives in sunny, dry conditions, making it an ideal choice for water-wise gardening and busy homeowners.
• Coastal Garden Favorite: Due to its resilience to salt spray and windy conditions, the Echium Candicans Star of Madeira is perfectly suited for coastal landscapes. It brings a touch of exotic beauty to challenging maritime environments.
• Fast Growing: This plant establishes quickly, allowing you to enjoy its magnificent presence in your garden sooner rather than later. Its vigorous growth ensures a rapid impact on your garden design.
• Deer Resistant: While not entirely deer-proof, deer tend to avoid browsing this plant, making it a good option for gardens in areas with deer populations.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Echium Candicans Star of Madeira is relatively straightforward, especially once it’s established. This plant thrives in conditions that mimic its native Mediterranean climate. For optimal growth and flowering, choose a site with full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Good air circulation is also important to prevent fungal issues. While fairly adaptable, it prefers well-draining soil, ideally sandy or gravelly loam. Avoid heavy clay soils that retain too much moisture, as this can lead to root rot. If your soil is heavy, amend it with grit or organic matter to improve drainage.

When it comes to watering, the Echium Candicans Star of Madeira is drought-tolerant once mature. During its establishment phase (the first year after planting), water regularly to help it develop a strong root system. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out completely between waterings. Once established, supplemental watering is rarely needed, except during prolonged dry spells. Overwatering is a common mistake and should be avoided. This plant is hardy in USDA zones 9-11, preferring mild winters and tolerating light frosts. In colder zones, it can be grown as an annual or overwintered indoors in a bright, cool location. Fertilization is generally not necessary; if desired, a light application of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring can be beneficial, but avoid over-fertilizing, which can lead to leggy growth.

Pruning is minimal and mainly involves removing spent flower stalks after blooming to encourage a more compact shape and prevent self-seeding, though some gardeners allow it to self-seed for a naturalized look. Dead or damaged foliage can be removed as needed. Watch out for common pests like aphids or spider mites, especially in dry conditions. A strong jet of water or insecticidal soap can help manage these issues. Overall, providing good drainage, plenty of sun, and minimal intervention will ensure a healthy and vibrant Echium Candicans Star of Madeira plant.

Size & Details

The Echium Candicans Star of Madeira live plant you receive is typically 1-2 feet tall at the time of shipment and comes in a robust 3-gallon nursery pot, ensuring a well-established root system for successful transplanting. This evergreen shrub is known for its relatively fast growth rate, quickly developing into a striking specimen in your garden. When mature, it can reach an impressive height of 5-8 feet and spread equally wide, forming a substantial presence. Its large, architectural form makes it an excellent choice for creating a focal point or adding structure to a mixed border. The plant will typically begin to produce its magnificent lavender-blue flower spikes in late spring, usually by its second year, depending on growing conditions and climate. The dense flower spikes can extend several feet above the foliage, adding to its vertical appeal.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Echium Candicans Star of Madeira can grow to be quite large, typically reaching 5-8 feet tall and wide at maturity. Its impressive size makes it a perfect specimen plant for larger gardens or landscapes.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This live plant is shipped in a 3-gallon nursery pot, providing it with ample space for its root system to develop before transplanting into your garden or a larger container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Echium Candicans Star of Madeira is primarily an outdoor plant, best suited for garden beds, borders, or large outdoor containers in appropriate climates. It thrives in full sun and mild conditions.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This plant requires full sun exposure, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, to achieve the best growth and most prolific flowering.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the Echium Candicans Star of Madeira is considered low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, making it a relatively easy plant to care for, especially in suitable climates.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive healthy and well-rooted in its 3-gallon pot, carefully packaged to ensure its safe journey. It will be ready for planting upon arrival.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: Depending on its age and growing conditions, your Echium Candicans Star of Madeira may bloom in its first or second spring after planting. The spectacular lavender-blue flowers typically appear in late spring.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This plant is hardy in USDA zones 9-11. In these zones, it will survive winter outdoors. In colder regions, it can be grown as an annual or brought indoors for winter protection.
• Q: What kind of soil does Star of Madeira plant prefer? A: The Star of Madeira plant prefers well-draining soil, ideally sandy or gravelly loam. It does not tolerate heavy, waterlogged soils.
• Q: Is the Echium Candicans variegated? A: Yes, the ‘Star of Madeira’ cultivar of Echium Candicans variegated leaves, which adds to its unique ornamental appeal even when not in bloom.