I've grown echium fastuosum for years, starting with seed grown which leaned toward the purple in coloration and my resulting generations of seedlings / volunteers were the same. I also grew e. fastuosum 'Star f Madeira', whose bloom was pretty much the same. I did at one time have an e. 'Mr. Happy', more 'pinkish' in bloom coloring.....and some e. pininanas and e. wildpretii...
So...when we moved I brought just a few seedlings with me...one of which I was thinking might be an e. pininana and I wanted to protect it through the wet, cold Winter, and it went under a nursery table, draped with Visqueen. When I uncovered it a month ago, I was surprised to find that it had apparently been growing vigorously through the Winter and was even starting to bloom. Then the buds opened and they are decidedly 'pink'...the structure is mis-shapen because of being under the table, leader is flattened somewhat, side branches reaching out.....but I do like the color, like nothing I've had before, don't know if it might be a 'Mr. Happy' seedling or not.....
Any thoughts?
This year I will have crosses from this and a couple of true blue colored e. fastuosums...I do have seeds from the purple echium I found here in town, but will not have those adding to the mix until a year or so down the line...
