March and April are the perfect months to sow the stunning Echium ‘Blue Bedder’, a fast-growing annual that brings a haze of vivid cobalt-blue flowers to beds, borders, and wildlife gardens.
Once it gets going, this beautiful plant quickly becomes one of the busiest spots in the garden. Closely related to our native Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare), each flower fills up with nectar rapidly, meaning pollinators can keep returning throughout the day for a reliable food source. It’s like a miniature nectar station that never stays empty for long.
Loved by Pollinators
The nectar-rich and accessible blooms attract a wide range of beneficial insects, including honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies and butterflies, bringing that wonderful, gentle buzz that signals a thriving garden ecosystem. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also, a caterpillar food source for the painted lady butterfly and over 20 moth species!
Flowers all Season
From early summer right through to autumn, Echium ‘Blue Bedder’ produces wave after wave of brilliant blue flowers, tinged with pink. Its compact habit makes it ideal for borders, wildlife patches, and even containers, where it creates a vibrant splash of colour while supporting local biodiversity. Easy to sow and grow, with a reliable rate of germination and large, easy to handle seedlings make this plant perfect to sow with kids.
Sow under cover from March, following the instructions on the packet, and you will be rewarded with months of dazzling blue blooms and the steady buzz of pollinators enjoying the garden alongside you.
Small seeds, BIG impact.
Recent Comments