The good bit is that after a 5 year wait, a clump of Puya alpestris in
my garden has just burst into flower. For those who don't know it,
this is a bromeliad somewhat tenuously related to the pineapple, which
produces rather attractive 3ft wide rosettes of silvery, but lethally
thorny arching leaves. Unlike many bromeliads, it is terrestrial,
native to the Andean slopes in Chile where it survives on very poor,
thin soils and is thought to derive at least some of its nourishment
from small animals that die after being trapped by its backward
pointing spines.

After several years, the rosette produces a 5 foot tall., stout flower
spike terminating in branches held out almost at perfect right angles
creating the ultimate architectural outline. At the base of each
branch lie clusters of 3" long, very heavily textured flowers in the
most incredible dark turquoise blue each with vivid yellow,
contrasting stamens. As with almost all bromeliads, the flowers have
just 3 petals, but their size and colour make this one of the most
spectacular of them all.

These flowers are pollinated by birds that come to sip the large
quantities of nectar that are produced at the petal bases. Showing
the ultimate in adaptation. the branch tips are bare, providing 6"
long perches for the birds' convenience. It is a stunning sight, even
though only a couple of flowers are open at the moment. There are
hundreds of buds promising several weeks of colour. I'll take a pic
of the spike when it is in full bloom.

Oh erm - and the bad bit? Another wasps nest!!! This time barely 3
yards from the back door. I've left the other for the time being, but
this one has to go.

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November