Purple Viper's Bugloss Seeds (Echium plantagineum)

Native to Mediterranean hillsides, at home in an English garden. Sown in spring, it flowers within weeks: soft pink buds open to violet-blue bells and deepen in colour as the season goes on. From midsummer into early autumn, it hums with bees, keeping its nectar topped up through the day so they keep coming back. Sow in dry, free-draining soil. Purple viper's bugloss thrives in the gaps of a gravel garden, a cottage border or a cut flower patch, and brings a long, easy season of colour. Key features: Flowers in its first year, from June to September Exceptional for bees, with a steady supply of nectar through the day Pink buds opening to violet-blue flowers, on branching, bushy stems Drought-tolerant and thrives in poor, sandy or stony soils Approx. 200 seeds per 1 gram