Wednesday 7 December 2022

Meanwhile in the garden - Puya berteroniana

 

Twenty years ago I bought a very small rooted cutting of a Puya berteroniana from Mr Pilbeam of  "Cactus Connoisseurs" .

When this beast flowers , it puts up tall stately spires with the most jaw dropping metallic greeny-blue flowers . That was the reason I bought it !

We have moved house several times since and I have always brought it with me .

When we moved here  I planted it out into the garden in what I thought was a nice hot Chile like spot . It grew and grew and grew , but never flowered  .


So , fifteen years later , feeling a bit saddened about this and annoyed that it was now taking up quite a large space in my garden , I decided to dig it up and move it somewhere else .

Well , it was quite a battle digging it out and the darned thing scratched and bit me in the process .

So I left it for about two years abandoned in this pot and quite forgot about it . 

Well , it seems that it enjoyed this Summer's heatwave and is now about to flower for the first time !

Sigh ..but now I am wondering if this actually might not be Puya berteroniana , but something else , because I don't think it colours up red like this .

I have a huge clump of Bromliad fascicularia  in my front garden ,which does colour up scarlet and has blue flowers very low down withing the leaves , as this is looking at the moment  , but when I compare it with this plant , the B. fascicularia  does look to have much narrower  leaves .

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see !  





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