Acidanthera
The Ethopian native loves sunny gardens and grows sword-shaped leaves approximately 24 inches tall producing a bloom in later summer or even early fall. The bloom is white, star-shaped with a centre blotch of purple.
I’ve grown them for their fragrance (I’m a sucker for fragrant flowers).
Where to Grow
Understand that in their native habitat, they grow high up in semi-alpine conditions found in grassy meadows or growing between rock formations in soil pockets. This is not a plant that requires superb growing conditions; in fact, overwatering and overfeeding will shorten its lifespan.
Hardiness
It
is however tender (if you were native to Ethopia, would you like
northern winters) and should be lifted in the fall and stored. (dry and
warm) As a curiosity, if you store them in the dark, the corms will
remain white. But, if you store them in the light, the corms will
likely turn green. Do not worry if the corm is green, plant it anyway
and it will grow just fine.Planting
Plant them so the base of the bulb is 3 inches deep and with 5 inches between bulbs.
Containers
Acidanthera grow quite well in pots as long as you are careful about companions. The container needs to be sheltered from wind, kept in the full sun and not overly watered. Try plants such as Scaevola or gray leaved plants (like Helichrysums) that take the heat without the need for copious amounts of water.
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