Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Weekly
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering
Outdoor
Puya Berteroniana
Metallic turquoise flowers on a two-metre spike: a colour almost unknown in the plant kingdom, born in the Chilean Andes.
Care Profile
A guide to ensuring your botanical companion thrives.
Origin
Chile
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Maintenance
Expert
The turquoise of the Andes
A bromeliad of the arid slopes of central Chile, the Puya raises a spike two to three metres tall bearing almost unreal metallic blue-green flowers with vivid orange anthers.
Its flower stems serve as perches for the birds that pollinate it, while its rosette of hooked spines keeps grazing animals away.
"The Puya invents a colour nature grants to no one else."
01
Styling Tip 01
Full sun
Site it in full sun, on a slope or rock garden where the heat reflects back.
02
Styling Tip 02
Very sparse watering
Dry soil suits it: water only during long droughts, and never in winter.
03
Styling Tip 03
Spines and poor soil
Plant it in poor, very free-draining soil and handle it with thick gloves because of its hooked spines.
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Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering