LOOK AT OUR FLOWER

SUMMER is here and our recent spate of good weather, coupled by the showers of the weekend mean our gardens are growing better than ever.

Thousands of us flocked to Phoenix Park over the weekend for the annual Bloom festival, a celebration of flowers that wasn’t just for the most greenfingered among us.

And over the next few months for most of us weekends will be spent pottering among our plants, making sure our own personal green spaces are perfect.

The top growing conditions have led to a peculiar growth spurt for a particular plant, the echium.

Some of theses plants are as high as the 14ft display John Phillips managed as it reached the height of a giraffe in just two years grown from seed, while others have reached unearthly heights of up to 20ft — the length of a killer whale.

After sifting through the impressive submissions from amateur gardeners hailing from locations, we can present some of the best echiums around. Here, our readers give their top tips for caring for these tropical plants — and you might be surprised by some of their suggestions.

The magnificent plants certainly look outstanding in their suburban gardens but you might have one that’s towering about these beasts. Keep your eyes peeled in case you see an even bigger bloom to trump these.