The beschorneria in bloom is a bit of an attention hog. Stepping outside, it’s the first thing that grabs my attention; the wonder of it, the unlikely circumstance of it forming a bloom over winter. I check over and over info on preferred growing conditions to understand how it is thriving in the cool rainy winters on the Oregon coast. Drought tolerant, full sun are the default instructions. But an entry by Plant Delights was very illuminating: “Beschorneria are one of the few “woody lilies” that prefers some shade. It will be happiest if it has less than a half day of sun, or even just very bright shade all day. Very drought tolerant, it also tolerates wet spells if provided with average drainage that would prevent water from puddling around the plant. “
Another issue that consumes my research is whether or not it is monocarpic. Reliable sources say it is not monocarpic, but still I worry…It’s bloomed once for me in Los Angeles in 2011, but the plant has always been susceptible to scale infestations in zone 10 and either withers away or is removed in exasperation.
You never know what to expect at plant sales run by the horticulturally obsessed. At last Saturday’s Dirty Diggers plant sale in Portland, Anna of the blog Flutter & Hum was a friendly voice shouting my name when I first wandered in. I’m amazed people can do that after long absences. We chatted over her plants for sale, when she mentioned the riveting news that she had a couple gallons of beschorneria for sale too. As young plants, they are nice looking but give no hint of the pyrotechnics they are capable of producing in bloom. I sputtered and stammered and tried to describe the current spectacle in my garden, but just couldn’t do it. Something vague and unhelpful about parrots was all I could manage. Still worrying about monocarpism, I grabbed one of Anna’s beschornerias for sale as a backup. Thank you, Anna!
How to describe the false agave in bloom. A cherry red stalk as strong and thick as a broom handle reaching up to 4 feet. From side branches that reach their greatest width about mid stalk, then taper up the stem to its zenith, hang red pendulous tubular flowers rimmed in chartreuse green. The flowers do not open into larger trumpets but remain narrow. (Other than the colors, the bloom has nothing to do with parrots.) Another member of the asparagaceae family, Polygonatum kingianum, is slightly reminiscent in bloom, as far as dangling tubular flowers.
Thanks to all the Dirty Diggers for a great sale — Anna, Loree, Tamara, Patricia, Heather, Jerry and all the others who attended or manned tables to discuss in depth the wonderful world of their plants. Keep an eye out for their next sale in the fall — you never know who or what might turn up.