Plant in full sun in most any type of soil and irrigate occasionally to not at all. Once established plants require no additional irrigation in coastal gardens though inland plantings will appreciate occasional irrigation and protection from cold - reliably cold hardy for short durations down to about 25 degrees F and some claim it can handle it a bit colder. This is a great plant for mild coastal climates and seaside gardens on a slope or in an area with room to spread out and it is attractive to honeybees, hummingbirds and butterflies, but generally unpalatable to deer and other browsers. Pride of Madeira often reseeds itself in the garden and, as this plant is relatively short lived (generally 4-6 years but some living up to 10 years), allow seedlings to replace older woodier plants. Prune flower inflorescences off after flowering to tidy up the plant and cut back hard in late fall to reduce size and encourage new growth from lower branches - leaves have slightly irritating hairs so remember to wear gloves when handling. Note also that very little will grow under an established Echium candicans, so it is best not to put precious plants near a young one that will no doubt grow larger and suppress the other plant.

As the common name Pride of Madeira implies, this comes from and is endemic to the island of Madeira, where it grows on rocky cliffs and terraces between 2,500 and 4,600 feet in the Central Mountain Massif. It is considered rare in nature and possibly threatened because of wildfire potential in its native range but it is in no danger of extinction out of its native habitat as it is commonly found in California landscapes and has naturalized in New Zealand and Australia. Though not officially considered invasive in California it has reportedly escaped cultivation near the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and in north San Diego County and consideration of its weed potential needs to be measured when planting near the urban wild land interface in this area.

The genus name is from an ancient Greek word for the plant. It is derived from 'echion' with the root word 'echis' meaning "viper" but the reason for this has several interpretations. Included among these are the shape of the seed resembling that of a viper's head and from the age-old belief that Echium vulgare, a plant called Viper's Bugloss, was a remedy for the adder's bite. This plant was long called Echium fastuosum but more recently Echium candicans has been determined to be the correct name - unfortunate as the name 'candicans' means "white" while 'fastuosum' means "proud" or "vain". This species received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 2002.

This selection with rich royal blue flowers was selected by our then plant propagator Teresa Aceves, who noted this nice colored form growing at Goleta Beach, a Santa Barbara County Park. We also grow the straight species from seed and have grown or continue to grow several selected cutting grown selections, including 'Select Blue', 'Rincon Blue' and 'San Bruno Pink' as well as a variegated foliage form with blue flowers called 'Star of Madeira'. This selection replaces our selection 'Select Blue' as we noted that it began to have fascinated (crested) stems. 

The information about Echium candicans 'Goleta Beach' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.