Care for your garden
This column is another in our series of brief overviews of garden plants from Mediterranean or summer-dry climate regions. These thematic columns relate to the fall planting season, when gardeners might be selecting plants to install in preparation for winter growth and spring blossoming.
Our current focus is on plants from Chile, on the west coast of South America.
Chile has one of the world’s most unusual shapes. It extends 2,650 miles north to south, averaging only 110 miles east to west. By comparison, California is 770 miles long by 250 miles wide, with an area of 163,696 square miles; Chile is larger overall, with 291,933 square miles.
Chile’s flora is usually described with reference to its northern, central, and southern regions, which vary from an arid desert in the north to cold temperatures and winds of the most southern reaches. The geography also varies between the Andes mountains to the east and the Atlantic Ocean coast to the west. Chile’s plant life of course varies over these extremes, but central Chile is included among the world’s summer-dry climate and is home to many plants that grow well in the Monterey Bay area.
Chile is bordered by Peru and Bolivia to the north, and Argentina to the east, on the other side of the Andes mountains. When we refer to Chilean plants, we include plants that are native to these adjacent countries, recognizing that plants do not respect political boundaries.
With that orientation, the following paragraphs sample the Chilean plants in my garden.
Rain Lily (Zephyranthes candida). A bulbous perennial, this plant develops a tuft of grass-like leaves and 1–2 inch-wide white flowers on upright stems rising about 6 inches tall. It blooms from late summer to early fall, with a burst of bloom following a period of rain. In the Monterey Bay area’s summer-dry climate, occasional summer irrigation will be helpful. These plants self-propagate freely. Year ago, I bought a densely packed 1-gallon nursery can, which yielded countless small bulbs for the garden.
Blue Puya (Puya berteroniana). Presenting a stunning display of flowering spikes in the summer, the Blue Puja grows to 6-10 feet. The bluish-green flowers with striking orange stamens are favored by hummingbirds as well as garden viewers. Its 3 feet high clump of curling, silvery foliage adds to the overall effect. My garden includes one of these slow-growing plants that will mature and bloom in future years; the accompanying photo is from UCSC’s Arboretum & Botanic Garden, where gardeners can enjoy Puja blossoms during summer months.
Chilean Jasmine (Mandevilla laxa). This vigorous vining plant produces big white flowers beginning in late spring and continuing through the summer. Internet resources report that it will grow to 15 feet high and can be pruned hard in the winter. I cut my specimen to the ground in the fall of 2020 to allow house painting, and it is now 20 feet high on a homemade 6 inch-wide trellis, and still growing.
Bolivian Fuchsia (Fuchsia boliviana ‘Alba’). Another native of the Andes mountains, this large Fuchsia can get quite tall (up to 12 feet!) but can be controlled with hard seasonal pruning in the winter; now is the time to cut back my specimens. It produces large drooping flower clusters (corymbs) of flowers, with red or white/red forms. This plant resists Fuchsia mites, which can be a problem for many cultivars of this genus.
Peruvian Old Man Cactus (Espostoa lanata). This is a columnar cactus with sharp spines and a wooly coat. Its native habitat ranges from southern Ecuador to northern Peru, on the western slopes of the Andes mountains. It can reach 20 feet in height at maturity, but container cultivation slows its growth considerably and prevents flowering.
Flower of the Inca (Cantua buxifolia ‘Hot Pants’). An upright, 6-feet tall, rather sprawling shrub, this plant looks best in the garden when staked, and its outrageous dangling magenta pink flower clusters are well worth the management task. This is Peru’s national flower and one of Bolivia’s national flowers.
Shining Pink Rock Purslane (Calandrinia spectabilis). This succulent plant is a popular groundcover, growing only 10 inches tall and 3 feet wide with greenish-gray rosettes. From spring to fall, it generates an abundance of cerise blooms on long stems, making it a welcome addition to the garden. It can be cut back to 6 inches high in the winter to control its form.
Red Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia sanguinea). This shrub can grow to 10–15 feet high, with 12-16 inch trumpet-shaped flowers. This is a tropical plant, native to Peru, that grows best in hot climates in full sun, but it grows well in central California when protected from frost. It is easily propagated from semi-ripe cuttings, so if a neighbor has a plant you appreciate, ask to take cuttings in the late summer.
Other Chilean plants in my garden include the flourishing Peruvian Lily (Alstromeria ssp.), with most of its species native to Chile, not Peru, and other plants still too young to share in photos. A recent addition is a Chilean Fire Tree (Embothrium coccineum), which has the potential of being a highlight of the Chilean garden bed. More about that plant as it grows.
Advance your gardening knowledge
For more information about garden-worthy plants from Chile, visit Wikipedia.org and search for “Flora of Chile.”
An excellent online resource for gardeners is the Chileflora website, chileflora.com/index.html, which has several articles and photo galleries of that country’s plant life.
Another online resource for gardeners is Garden Gate magazine’s current offering of 20+ seminars. These are fee-based resources that are accompanied by links to related information. The seminars can be purchased individually or with an “All-Access” pass and can be viewed on your schedule. Review available topics at gardengatemagazine.com/seminars/.
Enrich your gardening days
A Chilean theme is only one plant selection plan among the range of options that appeal to the individual gardener. A thematic approach to developing the garden or a smaller garden can be intriguing as a process and satisfying in realization.
Enjoy your garden!
Tom Karwin is past president of Friends of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, Monterey Bay Area Cactus & Suclent Society, and Monterey Bay Iris Society, and a Lifetime UC Master Gardener (Certified 1999–2009). He is now a board member and garden coach for the Santa Cruz Hostel Society. To view daily photos from his garden, https://www.facebook.com/ongardeningcom-566511763375123/. To search an archive of previous On Gardening columns, and garden coaching info, visit http://ongardening.com. Contact him with comments or questions at tom@karwin.com.
