Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

24 AUGUST 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 39

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: pineapple flowers

Q

Ihavebeengivena pineapple

bulb,butI honestlyhaven’tgot

thefirstideawhattodowithit orhowto

careforit. Pleasecanyouadviseasto

howI cankeepit goingfromyeartoyear?

AliceMapplethorpe, York, North Yorks.

A

Eucomisis a genusof

around 15 speciesand

numerouscultivarsof Sou

Africanbulbs.Oneof thes

Eucomiscomosa, shares

thespecificepithet

withthetruepineapple

(Ananascomosus),

with‘comosa’meaning

‘tufted’.Bothproduce

a tuftof bractsabove

theirflowersorfruit.

Bulbsplantedintoa su

spotin springwillsprouta

rosetteof longleaves.ByJuly,a stout

stemrises,clothedwithflowerbudsand

toppedwithbracts.Thestemelongates

toaround30in(75cm).Budsopeninto

starryflowers,attractingplentyof

insects, and slowly develop into

seedpods,sotheplantslookinteresting

allsummerlong.Eventually,thechill of

autumnseesthemdieback.

Eucomisareeasytogrowin potsor

in theground.Plantedin borders,they

performwell,butbeingof borderline

hardinesstheyneeda combination

of well-drainedsoil,andplentyof it, to

insulatethebulbfromcold.A dry

willhelp(perhapsbark

s addedin autumnand

movedin spring).In

olderregions,grow

permanentlyin potsto

bringintoanunheated

greenhouseorinsulated

hed.Plungeintoa

reenhouseborderand

ulatethetopswith

e duringseverecold.

wild,Eucomisarefound

growingin a rangeof habitats,fromscree

todampmeadows.E. comosa‘Pink

Gin’bearsglisteningpinkflowers,and

E.c.‘SparklingBurgundy’is a popular

purple-floweredcultivarwith dark

foliage andpinkblooms.

What’s best for pineapple fl owers?

Body image: Alamy. All other photography John Swithinbank / TI Media, unless credited

Pota bulbin spring,intoa mix

of 50:50JohnInnesNo2anda

soillesspeat-freecompost with

a little added grit.

Make more

of Eucomis

Astandof severalEucomis

pallidiflora, knownasthegiant

pineappleflower,makesa fine

statementagainst the backdrop

of a hedge.

Ina border,pineappleliliesbloom

alongsideanisehyssop(Agastache)

and Russian sage(Perovskia).

Withmaroon-rimmed,creamy

greenflowersgrowingfroma

maroon-fleckedstem,Eucomis

bicolorlooksparticularlypineapple-

like.Theflowersof thisspecies

have a rather rank odour.

Caring for Eucomis

E. bicolorwilldowellin

well-drained soil

Charmedbylong,dark

purpleleaves,I boughtthis

Eucomiscomosa‘Oakhurst’

ata rareplantfaironthe

IsleofWight.I’mgently

repottingintoterracotta,

todisplayagainstpale,

lime-green foliage

E.bicolorgrowingin

a pot under glass

E.comosa

‘Sparkling Burgundy’

Anne’s

top tips

Truepineapple(Ananas

comosus)alsoproduces

a tuft of bracts

Insets: Alamy

Alamy

PLANTbulbs6in(15cm)deepin sunandgood

butwell-drainingsoil.Don’tallowotherplantsto

shadethemout.Waterwhendry.Insulatewitha

dry4in(10cm)-thickmulchin winter,ormovepots

underglassorintoa shed.Repotorwaterdormant

potted Eucomis in April to start them growing again.