About
Anchusa azurea 'Loddon Royalist' is a perennial plant featuring coarse, hairy, lanceolate leaves that primarily grow at the base. It produces vibrant deep blue flowers measuring around 15mm in diameter, which are held on upright, branching stems.
About the genus
Anchusa comprises erect or spreading plants that can be classified as perennials, biennials, or annuals. Their leaves are typically hairy or bristly, and they produce clusters of tubular or salver-shaped flowers, which are predominantly blue in color.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing, North-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Wildlife gardens, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grows in any moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun, although it can also tolerate partial shade. It thrives in moist soils but dislikes winter wet.
- Pruning
- Deadhead to encourage a second flush of flowers. Cut back top growth after flowering to encourage a rosette of foliage
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, root cuttings or by softwood cuttings from the base of young shoots
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to leaf-mining flies
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews