At 14ft, is this UK’s tallest garden f lower?
Towering above the man who planted it, this 14ft echium flower is as tall as a giraffe, and might just be the tallest flower in Britain... for now at least.
it was planted as a seed by John Philips in his back garden two years ago, and requires an entire watering canful each day in order to maintain its lofty height.
The 68- year- old credits the echium’s height to his special homemade compost, not to mentions lots of tender loving care, and claims it is currently the tallest flower in a domestic garden in Britain.
But while Mr Philips can enjoy basking in the echium’s glory for now, no doubt by the end of the summer other flowers – such as sunflowers, which regularly grow to up to 20ft – will have crept up in height to steal the title. The tallest sun- flower to date – measuring a whopping 26ft 4in – was grown in germany in 2009. And in 2011 eve Fielding grew a 23ft sunflower in her back garden in Margate, Kent.
However, Mr Philips has due cause to be proud of his echium, which normally grow to just 12 to 13ft.
‘it’s magnificent to look at it really is,’ said the former salesman, who lives in ilfracombe, Devon. ‘i water it a hell of a lot, a can a day. And we use natural homemade compost so i think that’s why it’s done so well.’
The echium pininana, also known as the ‘blue steeple tower of jewels’, is usually found in the Canary islands, but is well suited to the mild, maritime climate found in the South of england.
The plant grows a single spire festooned with blue flowers that are highly attractive to bees and butterflies. Mr Philips says he has looked around Devon to see if anyone can beat his achievement but is yet to find a taller flower.
‘i’ve been driving around – there’s a couple of plants in Croyde, ilfracombe and Minehead but none of them are as tall as mine,’ he said.
while it may be the tallest plant in a domestic garden, Mr Philips’ plant is not quite as tall as an echium at the Botanic gardens of wales in Carmarthenshire, which reached 16ft earlier this month.
But gardens spokesman David Hardy said: ‘To grow a 14ft echium in your own back garden is a fantastic feat. our echium is 16ft but it’s kept under glass and is tended to by professionals so it’s not surprising it’s a bit taller.’