Vipers Bugloss
Echium vulgare
Full description
Vipers Bugloss is a beautiful biennial plant, growing to a height of 50-120 cm with 30-40 flowers on each stem from June to late August. The flowers are violet blue in colour flecked dark pink and with long red stamens.
It only thrives in southern England on chalky or sandy soil and open sites, but could be included in a dry herbaceous border. Vipers Bugloss should not be cut down until after seed set in the late summer. Once established it is happy to be left on its own to self-propagate.
Bees and butterflies love it.