YOU wait for one monocarpic plant to come along — and then, bus like, two arrive at once...

First it was Derek Bean’s Furcraea and then Dave and Hazel Trevan’s Puya Berteroniana in the Undercliff just down the road from Ventnor Botanic Garden which hosts the national collection of this fascinating genus.

Scroll through our gallery of pictures above to see more of the stunning puya...

As with all monocarpia it will flower only once after preparing for its big moment for years. Then it will die — hopefully after setting seed for Dave and Hazel to propagate a new generation.

It was 15 years ago that they acquired a very spiky rosette type plant that they knew was a terrestrial bromeliad but weren’t sure which genus or species.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The beautiful puya flowers.

“Initially, we thought it might be a Fascicularia which was familiar to us but as the years went on we realised we were dealing with something much larger and exotic! It proved to be a puya,” says Kew-trained Dave, who drew on the knowledge he exhibited as a lecturer in horticulture and countryside management at the Isle of Wight College for 33 years until he retired.

The bromeliaceae is the pineapple family and most people will be familiar with many common house plants in that family including the colourful Neoregelias and Aechmeas.

These like many bromeliads are epiphytes living on other plants such as trees but taking no nourishment from them. Puyas are terrestrial bromeliads, growing in the soil.

Puya produce dense rosettes of very spiny foliage. The leaves have the most vicious backward directed spines on their margins, which the couple found to their cost are very hazardous.

It is virtually impossible to get near the puya without getting ripped to pieces, so thick leather gloves are definitely needed.

Their puya went on year after year producing new rosettes but never any sign of flowers.

Last year they threatened to remove it but pointed to needing sets of armour-plated PPE to achieve that.

But Dave said: “Eight weeks ago Hazel let out a yell as she discovered the puya was starting to produce a very large flower spike. This slowly grew to about two metres high, but still no sign of flowers.

“In the last three weeks a few flowers started to appear and then many. How amazing they are! Each flower has jade green petals with bright yellow stamens. They are very showy and well worth waiting for...”

In the wild, puya grow in the Chilean Andes in arid conditions and there is some evidence that in the wild the vicious spines on the leaves trap animals such as sheep and goats and birds and the decaying bodies provide nutrients for the plant.

The name puya is derived from the Mapuche people who are native to Chile and Argentina. It means ‘Point’ due to the spiky nature of the plant genus.

Want to grow one?

The south of the Island is one of only a handful of places in the country sunny, dry and mild enough in winter where they can succeed.

Puya will tolerate a few degrees of frost, especially in a raised bed. Waterlogging and over watering are the quickest way to kill these striking succulents.

RICHARD'S TOP TIPS:

  • Please beware of ticks at this time of year if working in long grass. I picked up my first one three days before my partner noticed its blood-engorged body and wriggling legs sticking out of my calf. Red wine and tweezers made for a jolly extraction. Afterwards, clean the wound with alcohol (of the surgical spirit kind) and poke out any remaining body parts with a sterilised needle. Or, go to your GP, which is what most sane people would do — and watch out for signs of Lyme Disease.
  • Apply a high-potash fertiliser once fruits start to form on peppers, cucumber and tomatoes. You can use this on sunflowers too.
  • Harvest garlic when the tops start to bend over and yellow.
  • Encourage more marrows by harvesting regularly. Marrows which form in July and August should reach a good size by autumn. Let their skins harden in the sun before cutting them in September or October so they can be stored into winter.

Are you an Isle of Wight gardener with a question for Richard, or news of an exotic plant? E-mail him on: richryde@tiscali.co.uk