Time running out to see magnificent plant in flower in Galloway
The bloom at Logan Botanic Garden has flowered to an incredible 12 foot tall - but isn't expected to last for long.
You'll need to be quick if you want to see a magnificent plant in flower.
The puya alpestris ssp. zoellneri at Logan Botanic Garden has flowered to an incredible 12 foot tall – but blooms usually fade within a week.
The plant, native to Chile, bloomed for the first time at Logan last year – making it the first outdoor flowering of the species in Scotland.
On that occasion it made it to around four feet high and garden staff have been left stunned that this year it kept growing to 12 feet.
Curator, Richard Baines, said: 'I've been a horticulturist for over 40 years and the Puya alpestris is truly among the top three most spectacular plants I've ever seen in my career.
'Seeing the sapphire tower flower outside its native habitat is a real privilege for us here at Logan and we encourage visitors to come and witness its beauty for themselves over this coming week.
'However, while it's wonderful to behold, the incredible growth we're witnessing is likely down to the very warm temperatures we experienced this spring.
'Unfortunately, this is one of the anticipated consequences of climate change and a warming planet, with higher temperatures allowing plants like these to flourish in Scotland – outdoors – in ways that were never possible before.'
With the common name of sapphire tower plant, the plant is distinguished by its wonderous combination of clusters of turquoise-blue flowers with vivid orange stamens and is located at the entrance to Logan's Walled Garden.
it is part of Logan's larger Living Collection that has been curated through the Garden's global conservation efforts and commitment to support internationally significant research and education.
It was donated to Logan Botanic Garden in 2013 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as part of an ongoing plant exchange programme that sees both gardens sharing resources to build a positive future for plants, people and the planet.
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BBC News
04-06-2025
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Logan Botanic Garden's rare sapphire tower flower begins to bloom
A rare plant which is native to South America has started to bloom in the south of will have to hurry if they want to see the Puya alpestris - known as the sapphire tower flower - at Logan Botanic Garden as the blooms usually fade within a plant bloomed for the first time at the site near Port Logan in 2024, making it the first outdoor flowering of the species in year it reached about 4ft (1.2m) high but this year it has grown to about 12ft (3.6m). The plant - native to Chile - is already partially in flower, with more buds forming on the "alien-like" Richard Baines said: "I've been a horticulturist for over 40 years and the Puya alpestris is truly among the top three most spectacular plants I've ever seen in my career."Seeing the sapphire tower flower outside its native habitat is a real privilege for us here at Logan and we encourage visitors to come and witness its beauty for themselves over this coming week."However, while it's wonderful to behold, the incredible growth we're witnessing is likely down to the very warm temperatures we experienced this spring."Unfortunately, this is one of the anticipated consequences of climate change and a warming planet, with higher temperatures allowing plants like these to flourish in Scotland – outdoors – in ways that were never possible before."
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Time running out to see magnificent plant in flower in Galloway
The bloom at Logan Botanic Garden has flowered to an incredible 12 foot tall - but isn't expected to last for long. You'll need to be quick if you want to see a magnificent plant in flower. The puya alpestris ssp. zoellneri at Logan Botanic Garden has flowered to an incredible 12 foot tall – but blooms usually fade within a week. The plant, native to Chile, bloomed for the first time at Logan last year – making it the first outdoor flowering of the species in Scotland. On that occasion it made it to around four feet high and garden staff have been left stunned that this year it kept growing to 12 feet. Curator, Richard Baines, said: 'I've been a horticulturist for over 40 years and the Puya alpestris is truly among the top three most spectacular plants I've ever seen in my career. 'Seeing the sapphire tower flower outside its native habitat is a real privilege for us here at Logan and we encourage visitors to come and witness its beauty for themselves over this coming week. 'However, while it's wonderful to behold, the incredible growth we're witnessing is likely down to the very warm temperatures we experienced this spring. 'Unfortunately, this is one of the anticipated consequences of climate change and a warming planet, with higher temperatures allowing plants like these to flourish in Scotland – outdoors – in ways that were never possible before.' With the common name of sapphire tower plant, the plant is distinguished by its wonderous combination of clusters of turquoise-blue flowers with vivid orange stamens and is located at the entrance to Logan's Walled Garden. it is part of Logan's larger Living Collection that has been curated through the Garden's global conservation efforts and commitment to support internationally significant research and education. It was donated to Logan Botanic Garden in 2013 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as part of an ongoing plant exchange programme that sees both gardens sharing resources to build a positive future for plants, people and the planet.
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