Bomarea vine in bloom

12 years ago

This plant doesn't really demand tropical conditions, as it comes from tropical high elevation cloud forest habitat in the Andes, and does very well here in the San Francisco Bay Area in the cooler milder parts that typically get some summer fog. I've had the best success with it planted by itself against a stucco wall, where the new shoots are less likely to get attacked by snails or slugs. Baiting for mollusks is critical, as the vine never blooms if it loses the terminal bud. In our conditions, Bomarea caldasii blooms about 9 to 10 months of the year, only stopping briefly in the coldest months of late December into early February.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bomarea caldasii in bloom

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Comments (8)

kayjones
12 years ago
That is a beauty, and one I've been wanting - where did you get yours?
karyn1
12 years ago
I love bomareas. Too bad it's just too hot and humid here during the summer. Not many of the cloud forest plants do well here, even in my cool greenhouse. You have almost perfect conditions for so many plants in the SF Bay area.
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bahia
Original Author
12 years ago
I was going to add that I didn't think Bomarea would be a good candidate for growing in Florida or the southeastern USA, as they don't like it hot and steamy. They require diurnal temperature fluctuations, which we have in spades here along the Pacific. You all can grow the heat lovers, we can grow the cloud forest plants. There are sellers on EBay that sell seed of this plant, but I got mine from local wholesale growers here in California. They are easy from seed, but can you give them the 55 to 60F night time temps in summer that they prefer? If you can get Cymbidiums to bloom in your location, you might be successful with Bomarea caldasii.
karyn1
12 years ago
I've tried them in the greenhouse that I keep my tasconias and sphaerocarpium brugs in and they just don't thrive. Only a handful of the tasconias do really well and the cold group brugs won't bloom. I seriously doubt that they'd have much of a chance in FL unless they were in a greenhouse with AC. I don't have any issues with cymbidiums which bloom fine. There's so many cloud forest plants that I love and have tried a few but the heat and humidity during the summer is just too much.

Kay if you really want to try one and have friends in the SF Bay area they can probably pick up a bomarea at one of the Strybing sales. That's where a number of my cloud forest plants have originally come from.
ifraser25
12 years ago
Bomareas grow in one location only in the UK, in the Abbey Gardens, Tresco on the Scilly Isles off the coast of SW Cornwall, the only location in Britain that is frost free. It's also never hot, a bit like SF I guess.
kayjones
12 years ago
Sadly, I don't know anyone in California.
Dick_Sonia
12 years ago
Bomareas vary in climate adaptedness. There are bomareas that grow in quite tropical climates such as B. pardina and B. superba, but this is a mostly academic point as they are not among the small handful of bomareas available in the trade.

Bomareas generally do grow best in a frost-free climate. As a tuberous plant, though, most have the capacity to regrow as returning perennials in areas of mild frost if mulched well. Where entirely frozen back, the will need a long growing season to bloom again the same year they begin to regrow. At least one species, B. salsilla from Chile, typically goes deciduous even in its native habitat. It is the best bet for places like the south coast of England and the West Coast north of SF. It grows well in the chilly weather of early spring. Clearly this is a group of plants for which there is much hybridizing potential. The problem is getting someone interested in doing it.
chadinlg Zone 9b Los Gatos CA
12 years ago
Annies Annuals carries bomarea. I have one in a large pot (2nd year), but it's not happy. Don't think its the weather :) Will probably try to move it to the ground.

Chad