Echium nervosum This shrub is found wild on coastal cliffs in Madeira, but widely grown elsewhere. The leaves are silvery and rather bristly. The dense spikes of pale blue flowers, with long stamens, are borne in spring and summer.
Cultivation Easily grown in well-drained, sandy soil.
Height to 1.5m (5ft); spread to 1m (3ft). USZ 9–11, surviving -6.5°C (20°F) of overnight frost. Tolerant of summer drought.