Bright blue flowers, which are very popular with bees and bumblebees, make the viper's bugloss, which requires extremely little care, an attractive wild perennial. Anyone who wants to sow it should note that sowing does not work everywhere…

From August, the seeds of the viper's bugloss can be collected for sowing

Sowing - time and place

If you have bought the seeds of the viper's bugloss, you can start sowing at the beginning of February. The seeds are sown directly outdoors or in deep tubs on the balcony. A pre-cultivation is not recommended, as the viper's bugloss develops deep roots quickly and transplanting would not tolerate well.

Alternatively, sowing can also take place in late summer to autumn, for example with seeds from your own cultivation. After the seeds have ripened, the seeds are most germinable. If you sow them in late summer, there is enough time for the leaf rosette to develop and the flowers will appear next year.

The ideal place for sowing

Since the viper's bugloss feels most comfortable in full sun and dry places, you should ideally sow it in such a location. The earth there should be structured as follows:

  • profound
  • well drained
  • sandy
  • relaxed
  • low in nutrients
  • likes calcareous

Attention: cold and dark germs

The seeds should not be sown in the warm living room at home, but outside in the cool field. They do not germinate at room temperature, but need temperatures between 10 and 15 °C. They are covered with soil 2 to 3 cm thick because they are dark germinators.

Keep substrate moist and wait

Keep the substrate evenly moist. It is important that it is not wet, as this can quickly lead to the seeds rotting or the young plants dying. It takes about 6 weeks for the seeds to germinate.

Harvest or buy the seeds

You can harvest the seeds yourself. Normally the viper's head fruit ripens between mid-August and the end of September. The seeds are in the Klaus fruits, which are brown in color and dried up when ripe. They are tiny, smooth and black - vaguely reminiscent of black sesame.

tips

The leaf rosettes of Echium, which form in the first year, overwinter and the flowers only appear in the second year.

Category:

Vegetable garden