A rare sight at Inverewe

Inverewe, an award-winning heritage garden containing species from across the globe and created from a barren wilderness in the 19th century, is soon to witness an event that happens only once every seven years.

An asparagus-like plant has sprung into life near the end of the main drive by Inverewe House and is growing … and growing … and growing! Head Gardener Kevin Ball expects it to flower in the next few weeks. It measured 164cm tall on 8 June and has grown even more in the last week.

This fascinating plant is a Puya alpestris. It’s a type of bromeliad (in the same family as a pineapple) native to the Andes of South America and southern Central America, where it can reach up to 9m in height. The name Puya was derived from the Mapuche word meaning ‘point’. Here at Inverewe it’s grown as an ornamental plant and produces a clump of grey-green, spiky-edged leaves and, occasionally, a spike containing many flowers. The flowers are an unusual jade/teal colour with orange pollen.