Vipers Bugloss
Echium vulgare
Full description
Vipers Bugloss is a biennial plant, growing to a height and spread of 50-120 cm with 30-40 flowers on each stem from June to late August. The flowers are a beautiful violet blue flecked dark pink with long red stamens.
This photo shows quite a young plant - they will usually bush out with several stems to a plant.
It thrives 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.
There is a minimum order quantity of 50 plug plants, but it can be a mix of different species.