Flower Friday : : Echium Candicans

My mother lived in Pacific Grove (between Monterey and Carmel on the California coast) for a time and when I visited her I loved to run along the coastal path, which was planted with echiums and orange kniphofia. They were beautiful, the coastline was stunning and I could run all the way to the Monterey pier. I loved that run and these amazing plants always make me think of the rocky coast, beaches dotted with seals, otters floating on their backs just offshore and a plethora of seabirds gathering on the rocks.

I have always had a plan to plant these two plants below our driveway. There is no rocky coastline, but I thought they would look nice and take little care. We never got around to it, but after the fire took out the garden outside our bedroom we planted a small, less than a foot in diameter, plant out there. It grew massively the first year, covering up the ugly gas meter (which is no longer functional but PG&E won't take them out). I was disappointed that it didn't flower but at least it filled the space nicely with something green.

In this, it's second year, it grew some more, encroaching on our little deck and the walkway to the back gate. We were about to prune it back a bit when I noticed that it was developing some little pinkish topped spikes. I've lost track of time, or at least my perception of it, but it seems to me that that was months ago. I decided to wait to post a picture until I saw what it did. It has taken quite a long time to develop its distinctive blue color, but it is now quite a sight outside our bedroom door. Its spikes are easily a foot tall and covered with tiny blue flowers.

It still reminds me of my mother and those beautiful early morning runs along the beautiful Monterey coastline....