A natural oddity to start you weekend: behold, the sea onion
This plant does not grow in the sea and you would get a massive stomach ache if you were to eat it like an onion (please don't try). But that is the name it has been given, and it makes for one very cool houseplant...
The green bulb (this plant is a succulent, believe it or not)that it grows from can become as big as a large beefsteak tomato. At the moment mine is tiny but has already grown in the months I have had it. This plant also is capable of flowering, which I cannot wait to see. The Boweia has so far stood up to lower light conditions (although it does need some) and does not complain if it sometimes gets too dry; it's been a truly agreeable house guest and we love its show of green. Ours is staked with a simple chopstick at the moment, but we will need to get more creative as it grows.
Bowiea links:
matt at apartment therapy dot com
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (4)
wow so creepy and cool looking. I love succulents
Thank you, thank you, thank you! A friend of mine had one of these a few years ago, so when I spotted one at yard sale this summer I knew the treat I was in for. I separated mine (it had cloned a second onion, both huge - larger than my hand), and I've been experimenting with light and heat levels for them.
I do have one question. When I bought mine all the feathery foliage was dry and dead. The bulbs have seemed happy in my house the last few months, but they haven't produced any new foliage, even with experiments of more/less water or doses of fertilizer. Does anyone have advice on encouraging these odd little plants to grow?
Tessa,
I don't have enough experience yet to say...but I was told these guys will go dormant and lose the top foliage. When that happens it is best to let them recharge in an area that gets bright, indirect light and to be sure not to overwater - make sure the soil gets dry before giving it more. Eventually they gather enough energy again and wake up, but that can be months.
I also am curious to watch the whole cycle.
My daughter had one of these plants for about three years and it went through its phases of growing fringy vines, dying back and regrowing. Just wait, it doesn't need much. However, I was looking to see what was wrong with ours and it seems to be rotting. Do keep about half of the bulb out of the soil and I've read not to overwater when it is in its dormant state. We kept ours in the bathroom so it was easy to water and any spills were easy cleanup, but I have read that a sunny windowsill it best and perhaps a less moist environment than the bathroom.