Puya dyckioides Caryopteris Queen Anne's lace-like flower heads

Queen Anne's lace-like flower heads

(aka: Polystichum lonchitoides) Cyrtomium lonchitoides is a little-known holly fern that hails from forests between 4

deer-resistant leaves of Acorus calamus 'Argenteostriatus' make this one of the most strikingly beautiful vertical accent plants in the garden

forming an attractive evergreen clump

occurring usually in early May (NC)

Puya dyckioides Caryopteris Queen Anne's lace-like flower headsWe first became familiar with the hardy bromeliad Puya dyckioides on our 2002 Argentina trip, where plantsman Sean Hogan spotted it growing on a cliff around 10,000' elevation. We subsequently (2005) planted offspring in our garden which have grown vigorously ever since, experiencing temperatures of 7 degrees F with some leaf burn, but flowering was unaffected. The olive green spiny leaves form a fast offsetting 2' tall x 4' wide patch in 5 years.