Flowers From A Bad Sci-Fi Flick

stand in front of the spiky stalk ofPuya alpestris , I empathise why someone had identify it “ Sapphire Tower . ” I take that back ; I ’m not certain sapphire is exactly precise . Randy Baldwin , general manager at San Marcos Growers ( my favorite wholesale nursery ) describes it at their internet site :

Turquoise blue - dark-green flowers ( sometimes called metallic or “ unearthly ” ) bloom on terminal branching 4 - 5 metrical foot tall stalks in the springtime . evenly exquisite as the petals are the hopeful orangish anthers contrasting the bluish green Amytal .

I half expected optical maser beams to set out shooting out of the end of the buds .

But who want to call a plant life Turquoise Blue - Green Metallic Unearthly Tower ? They do n’t make plant rag that big .

I remember the first time I saw a puya in salad days . I had been alert by a ado of e - mails that something equivalent to discovering the tunnel of the Easter Bunny had occurred . “ OMG ! You ’ve GOT to see the puya at Orpet Park ! It ’s FLOWERING ! ! ! ” ( I know , way too many exclaiming mark , but that ’s how excited my horti - buddies were . )

arrive at the car park , I understood the fervor . I was at a red for words to describe the color of the bloom . Not unlike Randy ’s description , my thoughts went to a sci - fi B-complex vitamin - pic ( make that D - picture ) . Otherworldly , indeed , if you call “ teal ” otherworldly .

I beheld the plant in its full magnificence again a few weekends ago while visiting San Diego with my wife , Lin . That was the same trip when I lastly met my Flickr chum , Roberta Correia , the subject of my last blog post .

Before I leave Roberta ’s house , I mentioned that Lin and I might be going to Quail Botanical Garden . Her eyes glazed over , a enchantment - same state remove control of her faculties . “ You HAVE to chit-chat the puya ! I was just there last week and it ’s in full bloom , ” she demand . “ It ’s heavy to receive , but it ’s worth it . ”

Such ebullience . peradventure puya exude some sort of nirvanic pheromone . This could be fun . So that same afternoon , we drove thirty second north of San Diego and were greeted by late good afternoon sun , the kind that tot a gentle , warm glow to a garden .

Quail was once the 30 - acre secret estate of Charles and Ruth Laribee , avid plant aggregator who left the property to the County of San Diego in 1957 . In 1993 , a non - profit was formed . Their mission is to actively participate in the conservation of rarified , threatened and endangered works mintage . No doubt about it ; the puya is correct at home plate here .

Puya is a form of bromeliad ( like a pineapple ) native to the dry slopes of the Chilean Andes . It grow in full sun , is succulent — so it does n’t require much urine — and inspire the garden year - cycle with its viciously serrated silvery leaves . It can digest low temperatures between 15 and 20 deg . F. I ’ve get wind them as large at four feet high and evenly wide , so if you plant one , allow adequate space .

I ’ve never used Puya alpestris in a design project , for two reasons . First , I would detest to have my client or their nurseryman weed around the plant . I ’m not kidding about the sharp teeth along the edge of the leaves . Short of wearing a span of those cubital joint - length heavy leather rose cut mitt , I do n’t require to subject anyone to multiple stitches when they garden .

Secondly , and closer to home for this architect , what on earth could you plant that would blend with or compliment the color of these strange bloom ? I ’ve been through a vast box of crayons , and frankly , I ’m stumped .

So I deform to you , my full groundwork of new - regain readers . Have you arise puya ? If so , what have you partner off it with ? I know there are some brilliant colorists among you who can set me straight . I ’d love to utilise the plant , but other than toss out it in as a alien - than - fiction oddity , my esthetic mind is a blank shell .

Now enjoy a enlistment of a few other Quail Botanical Garden lovely .

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