Puya flower spikes emerge
Flower spikes of 3 Puya species have emerged at Ventnor Botanic Garden. P. chilensis, with its striking yellow flowers, P. spathacea showing one spike and P. berteroana with its amazing blue flowers.
This year we are hopeful that P. ferruginea will bloom too, none at the garden have seen this before other than a representation on a painting which shows this species has large white flowers.
Flowering of Puya at VBG is becoming a regular event, in the past we have had single flowerings (pictures below from 2003) and a rare double flowering in 2007. One single clump had six spikes in 2012, spectacularly open simultaneously. Puya flowering is a rare ccurrance for the British Isles as Puya are difficult to grow. VBG has the National Collection status for Puya with Plant Heritage (formerly NCCPG)
