I have no idea where I’m going with THAT title!!! I was just thinking how the plant names sound like dirty words…AAAaaaaany-Hoo!
So here are a couple of interesting Dyckia I’ve neglected to share. This lovely silvery lady is a Dyckia hybrid known as ‘Precious Metal’. I picked her up at Sunset Blvd. Nursery in Silverlake, CA (a trendy neighborhood East of Hollywood in Los Angeles—My old Hood!) the last time I was there. They have quite a few Terrestrial Bromeliads tucked away behind all the Agave and Yucca outside in the “Xeri-section”. It takes a keen eye to zero in on them through all the various spines—And pull them out from their hiding spots carefully, so your arms don’t look like they were just mauled by hungry Hyaenas!!!
Dyckia ‘Precious Metal’
Next we have a Dyckia hybrid cultivar called, Dyckia ‘Lad Cutak’ (My pet-name for him: Cute guy). I think the rosettes on this sharp little fellow are about full size at 4″ (If anyone knows differently—Please! Let me know…).
Update: Right…So, a friend let me know that since Lad Cutak is a hybrid, and the clones vary greatly, it could get quite a bit bigger. 😦 (I actually bought him because I thought he was going to stay small. The guy at Sunset Nursery assured me it would—There again, he barely spoke English! Oh well…) The habit of this plant is to pup profusely before plant is even mature. Also, when gradually exposed to direct sunlight, the leaves redden deeply, eventually appearing almost BLACK! I will have to give this a try…
Dyckia hybrid: D. ‘Lad Cutak’
Last up for today is a groovy Puya that has EVER SO SLOWLY grown from a very small offset I was very glad to get from an accomplished Brom Collector, Richard Size (Sadly, now deceased) from Los Angeles, at least 15 years ago. His mature plant was in a giant pot an looked like an immense Medusa head-dress—It was SPECTACULAR! I understand when mature and blooming, these plants shoot up a tall flower spike w/ BLACK FLOWERS! I am anxiously awaiting when she will bloom for me… PUYA LAXA
Notice the “furry/wooly” leaves of Puya Laxa. Really cool looking plant.
nixwickedgarden 