Hardy Tropicals UK

I noticed what looks like to be I think a Echium seedling growing on our front garden, no idea how it got there but I was wondering how they cope being dug up and transplanted? as I would like to replant it in the back garden

I grew some from seed, when I tried to pot them on they ALL sulked and died, but I don't know what I did wrong! Good luck.

Self sown seedlings are no problem. I try and get a bit of soil up with the roots and then pot them up and keep well watered. These are tiny mind, anything bigger is not so easy. Why not buy some seed and grow your own ? The key is to just lightly press them into the surface of a soil based compost. They dont seem to like being covered.

I think I might get some seeds, I have seen quite a few ones around people's gardens in my location and public gardens, they look very nice and bit exotic in my opion and was surprised to find out they are native to the canary islands and can grow here and self seed (well I presume judging by the random one on our front garden).

Pic, Jako? If the seedling is small it will transplant as long as the roots are undisturbed with a big dollop of soil all around them. I say a pic as some wild flower seedlings such as alkanet look very similar to Echium when very young.

here's a pic of it not the best

If the leaves have a waxy, shiny finish the pic suggests it might be red valerian, Centranthus ruber. You'll know pretty soon as you might have red flowers on it during the summer.

If the leaves have fine hairs and little black dots on them then it's most likely an Echium. Providing some have flowered locally you'll get viable seed for the next twenty years even if no more plants have grown to flowering size.

just googled the centranthus you mentioned thanks (otherwise I would have no idea about it) and I think it might be actually that instead now, both seedlings do look a little similar

Leave it to grow, Jako. I'd be happy to have both self-seed all over my garden. Whatever it is you can't lose.

In my experience they don't like being moved but do recover well.

I dug up quite a few self sown seedlings at my parents house. By the time I got them home they all looked dead but I potted them up anyway and watered a lot, leaving them sitting in water for a day. They all came back fine, even one where the leaves had all dried up and shrivelled grew new leaves from the centre.