Echium gentianoides ‘Tajinaste’ produces intense cerulean blue flowers in an informal pyramidal inflorescence (flowering spike). Used as an annual in the Chicago area the plants will flower from Spring through Fall but never reach the 4’ x 4’ size found in warmer climates (USDA zone 9 or 10). In Chicago, plant in very well drained soils that dry thoroughly between watering and grow in full sun. The plant is very drought tolerant and the slightly hairy leaves are resistant to rabbits and deer.

This species is native to the rims of extinct (we hope) volcanoes in the Canary Islands. The climate in classified as arid sub-alpine with very high levels of solar radiation and few rains/fogs. A number of Echium species are native to the Canary Islands and are another example of a single parental species developing Darwinian adaptations to microclimates over time.