Plant of the week

EUCOMIS COMOSA EUCOMIS, or pineapple lilies, are bulbous plants from southern Africa. The most widely grown, Eucomis bicolor, has crowded flower spikes on speckled stems, each with a leafy topknot. Eucomis comosa is larger and grander — up to 75cm tall. In the variety ‘Sparkling Burgundy’, the large strap-shaped leaves are purple-red and surround tall, thick flower stems with dusky pink blooms. Grow Eucomis bulbs in large pots or freedraining soil in a sunny position. The flower spikes and leaves are almost as attractive when going to seed, and look pretty through autumn. Eucomis often self-sow if given time to mature. Seedlings flower within a few years, if they survive the winter.