It was the afternoon of April 8th when I first noticed that something was going on with it, there in the center...
See it?
A close-up.
Two days later, April 10th, and it's starting to become more pronounced.
I also started to wonder about this plant being monocarpic, dying after blooming. Several Facebook friends have assured me that's not the case.
April 12th...
And we've leaped ahead to April 17th.
It's obvious this isn't going to be a pretty flower, but rather in the "interesting" camp.
April 18th...
Each one of those buds is a tiny flower waiting to open.
April 19th. Above it looked bluish, that was a trick of the late afternoon light. The whole thing has more of a pink tinge, as you can see here.
April 20th.
April 22nd. I take back what I said about it not being pretty, it actually really is.
April 23rd...
I wonder what it will look like as it ages? Will it dry gracefully and remain a decorative bit of the plant? I hoped maybe it meant the plant would branch but after reading up on it I guess that's not possible, although it will form a clump.
And yesterday, April 27th. What a fun show this is, ain't nature grand?
All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Amazing that such an airy plant has such a big sturdy flower. It is very dramatic but the pink softens it up. You will have to post again so we can see what it does as it ages.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping some seed pods develop, they look interesting.
DeleteIt almost looks like a grassier Richea. Even the flower is similar. Crazy!
ReplyDeleteI had to look up Richea...wow! I love it.
DeleteAlso looking forward to future posts about this one as it ages. You find the coolest plants to feature each month & thanks to this post, I now know what to post about tomorrow! Bless you.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading your post...today.
DeleteThat's quite a nicely formed bloom. So I went out to look at my nolinas and remember what happens to the blooms. They are just sending up blooms which means yours is doing quite well. It also appears I cut off the old blooms sometime last summer so they must just dry in place and fade since I can't remember anything else about them. Nolinas grow wider in a clump but I've had limited success dividing them so far.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info Shirley. I don't really anticipate trying to divide this guy, I hate (HATE) wrestling things out of containers and then stuffing them back in.
DeleteWhat a beautiful inflorescence. I like it a lot. Heck, I like the whole plant a lot! Gotta get me one at Cistus at some point.
ReplyDeleteGotta get you one, or two...
DeleteLike the ugly duckling, it just took it a little while to turn into a swan.
ReplyDeleteGlad you think it's worthy of the swan label.
Deletewhat a great spectacle!!! thank you for sharing!!! It did look as if it wasn't going to be too pretty but finally it is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSpectacle is the perfect word Lisa, it really is.
DeleteI've yet to try growing a Nolina but I may have to correct that omission. I can't remember seeing any in my local garden centers but maybe I just haven't looked carefully.
ReplyDeleteThey are kind of underwhelming when small.
DeleteThat is super cool and hardy, too! Plant Lust descriptions say 6 to 8 feet for the inflorescence. Yours looks much shorter and much cooler than some of those photos. Not a plant I would have picked, but now maybe I need one!
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is much shorter, probably due to being in a container? I do love the seeds shown in a couple of the plant lust photos, hope mine develops them.
DeleteI think that flower looks very pretty... And your nolina doesn't even look that big yet! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAh it's pretty big, that container is huge.
DeleteI love it! Gotta get one for my own patio. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGet the self to Cistus!
DeleteOMG thanks for sharing that! I love that!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it crazy?
DeleteSpectacular!
ReplyDeleteTakes one to know one. (no, I don't know why I said that)
DeleteThat's a tall flower for a nolina, at least compared to my N. texana and lindheimeri. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteOh now you've got me needing to go look those up...
DeleteAnd you thought the blooms wouldn't be anything special! Beautiful! I've been eyeing these at work. Don't have the areas ready to plant them yet.
ReplyDelete