HOW-TO

Plant primer: Climbing onion

Staff Writer

The Columbus Dispatch

Climbing onion

Height: 15 feet

Spread: 8 to 12 feet

Hardiness: Zone 9

Origin: South Africa

South Africa has some intriguing plants, including the climbing onion (Bowiea volubilis).

It has a succulent bright green bulb, resembling an onion, that is partly exposed above the soil line. Its bright lime green vines cling to almost anything, and its succulent stems resemble asparagus. (Climbing onions and asparagus are in the same family, Asparagaceae.) The stems produce leaves that are actually small bare branches. Small star-shaped green flowers appear in late winter or early spring.

The plant likes to be kept dry during its growing season and goes dormant after flowering. During dormancy, stop watering it and allow the bulb to rest. In a few months, new stems will start to grow and you can resume watering and general succulent care.

A climbing onion in bloom can be seen in the desert biome at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

— Barbara Arnold,Franklin Park Conservatoryand Botanical Gardens