Description:

A short-lived perennial with attractive, silvery gray-green leaves covered in smooth hairs, and held in rosettes; in second year a stout unbranched spike rises up to 6 feet, covered with fire red blooms; dies after flowering, but readily self-seeds

Ornamental Features

Red Rocket Echium has masses of beautiful spikes of fragrant scarlet trumpet-shaped flowers with crimson throats and powder blue anthers rising above the foliage from early to late spring, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its attractive large tomentose narrow leaves remain grayish green in color with hints of silver throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Red Rocket Echium is an herbaceous evergreen biennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should never be pruned except to remove any dieback, as it tends not to take pruning well. It is a good choice for attracting bees and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Red Rocket Echium is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Red Rocket Echium will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity extending to 6 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 30 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and tends to be biennial, meaning that it puts on vegetative growth the first year, flowers the second, and then dies. However, this variety tends to self-seed and will thereby endure for years in the garden if allowed, although because it is a hybrid, the seedlings may not come true to type.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Red Rocket Echium is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.