The market is full of Crocosmia selections but we think this one is a classic. The foliage is a dramatic bronze color and the spikey leaves are a great backdrop to the apricot yellow flowers that occur in July to September. To 2.5′ tall and forming an expanding clump. Full sun to part shade in rich, moisture retentive soil with light but consistent summer water. It makes a very good cut flower that lasts in a vase. Combine with other sun loving late summer blooming perennials. Completely deciduous in winter. Moderate deer resistance.
Family: Iridaceae
Cypella (Phalocallis) coelestis
Wonderful Iris relative from South America that we cherish for its daily large three petalled intricately marked blue flowers. Rising to 2′ tall, corrugated blue green leaves accompany the strong upright stem. Beginning in May a daily procession of flowers that open at sunrise and close and finish by 2 to 3 in the afternoon. Don’t remove the spent flower as curiously more (and more) flowers will appear from the same stem. Large seed pods will form. These may be snipped off to refocus on more blooming. Full sun and rich, well drained soil in a warm position with regular summer water. I add a handful of all organic fertilizer around the base just before blooming. This markedly increases vigor and even the size of the flowers. Freezes back almost to the ground below 20ºF. Moderate deer resistance.
Cypella (Phalocallis) herbertii
Adorable little bulb that forms grassy colonies. Beginning in early summer and continuing to fall 10″ stems support amber orange intricate three petalled flowers. Each lasts just one day but new flowers appear seemingly from nowhere from the stems so do not remove- these stems can produce flowers for up to 6 weeks. Grassy medium green corrugated leaves accompany the flowers. Open sites with little competition from other plants. Sharp drainage in average to rich soil with regular summer irrigation. Full sun to light shade. Surprisingly cold hardy. Rock gardens, containers. Native to rocky plains in Argentina and Uruguay. It makes a great candidate for troughs and perennial containers where you can closely inspect the fascinating blooms. Mostly evergreen in our climate. Some deer resistance. Close iris relative.
Dierama ‘Xera’s Darkest Shades’
We’ve been saving seed from our darkest flowered babies. Its taken us years but we think we’ve got a good mix. Deep purple to dark magenta bells on moderately sized plants. EVERGREEN leaves are gray green and erect. Full sun and rich, well drained soil with ample water in summer. Blooms May-July. To 3′-4′ and then taller in bloom. Little competition from other plants- kind of a diva that way. AKA Angel’s Fishing Rod or Wandflower. Dierama is native to open high plains in South Africa as well as in mountains. Never cut back a Dierama to the ground. It will shock it horribly and may not recover. Instead cut out old or winter damaged leaves and leave the fresh foliage. Highly deer resistant. Regular summer water through bloom then light. Spectacular perennial.
Xera Plants Introduction.
Dierama pulcherrimum ‘Magenta Giant’
A fantastic Angel’s Fishing Rod that includes great cold hardiness and enormous 8′ wands that support hot magenta tubular flowers in early summer. Gray/blue foliage is evergreen and in this form is seldom disfigured by winter cold. Clump forming with leaves to 3′ tall and spreading slowly in rich, deep soil with regular summer water. Full, all day sun with little competition from other plants. The incredibly graceful wands arch over and dip and sway with the slightest breeze. We do this variety by division so it is not in great supply but if you’ve had Dieramas fail from cold or another reason this is the one you should grow. Do not cut back the foliage in autumn, rather cut out old and damaged leaves individually to tidy. Resents disturbance once established. By far the easiest and hardiest Angel’s Fishing Rod that we’ve grown. This is done by division so availability is limited.
Xera Plants Introduction.
Gladiolus dalenii ‘Bolivian Peach’
Hardy happy and elegant perennial gladiolus that is perhaps just a species but market…y’know. To 3′ tall it opens soft peach and yellow wild looking flowers up a sturdy scape. Multiplies quickly in rich well drained soil and a patch will form yielding multiple blooms and a great source of cut flowers. Nothing like hybrid garden gladiolus instead decidedly more wild looking and we LOVE that. Very easy to grow, tough and hardy. Emerges late often not until April be patient. Regular summer water and full sun will prevent the towers from falling over. If they do simply cut them and bring them in the house. Moderate deer resistance.
Gladiolus papilio
GLADZILLA! Thats what we call this rambunctious, prolific and all too easy species Glad. Blue/gray foliage gives way to serpentine spikes lined with curiously colored cup shaped flowers. The exterior of the petals is best described as dove gray. The interior is more complicated with zones of yellow, purple, and brown. Lovely cut flower.. The scape rarely stands straight up- accept that, it makes cool arrangements. In the ground its kind of a monster. It lives to multiply and in soil that too rich you will end up with 100,000 in a short time. Don’t torture it just don’t pamper it. Great plant for the rough life of the back 40 or a forgotten corner of your yard. Don’t recommend putting it in a hellstrip as it would spread so fast you would soon find Gladzilla monoculture. Completely winter deciduous- nothing there. Emerges relatively late in spring but it goes fast. Excellent cut flower. Strong deer resistance. Water? Yeah.. if you want.
This is an exciting new form of the butterfly glad, which we lovingly refer to as Gladzilla. So far, this cultivar is not nearly as rambunctious but is vigorous. Forming large colonies by bulb offsets as well as seed. Gray/green foliage rises to 16″ in clumps. In mid summer a large display of Ruby pink flowers appear in staggered stems up to 24″. If left to its on devices and just watered a good clump can yield more than a dozen stems. It makes a fantastic cut flower and unopened buds will be forced open in the vase. Full sun and AVERAGE soil with REGULAR water for the first season then light irrigation in subsequent years.It is vigorous enough that you can rely on water alone to check its growth. Very easy to grow cold hardy perennial Gladiolus. Very long lived. Mixes well with other vigorous perennials for full sun and regular water. Not bothered by deer or pests. To 2′ wide as a clump. Winter deciduous. South Africa.
Gladiolus tristis ‘Moonlight’
Unusual species gladiolus that is actually an early spring bloomer and at night possesses a wild sweet powerful perfume. Very thin grassy foliage forms clumps to 10″ tall. It appears in autumn with the first rains after summer dormancy. In March flower spikes rise to twice as tall as the leaves an open wild looking simple luminous yellow flowers. They have fancy markings on the inside lower two petals. At dusk the perfume arrives and does it flow. I’ve smelled this flower from 20′ away on mild spring nights. It makes a great cut flower but this mysteriously diminishes the perfume. Full sun and VERY WELL DRAINED soil- such as a rock garden or a hillside. It dislikes competition so give it space. Excellent with a mulch of gravel. Don’t plant this in a crowded bed in rich wet soil it will die out or it will quickly be overwhelmed. Fun plant to grow. Needs no supplemental water cause its totally dormant by summer anyway.
Gladiolus x dalenii ‘Boone’
Found by a NC extension agent at a very old homestead in Boone, a cold mountain town in the western part of the state. This very old hybrid cultivar of Gladiolus dalenii and ? Its also listed at the hybrid G. x gandavensis. A wonderful COLD HARDY perennial Gladiolus that we dearly adore. Pale orange outside simple petals surround a center of intricate coloring. Green, pink, yellow. Very wild compared to the big border babies but a true multiplying perennial that will quickly form a clump with a dozen or more flower spikes. Blooms appear for 4 weeks in the middle of summer. They rise above a healthy bunch of soft green spear shaped leaves. Full sun and rich soil with no standing water in winter. To 22″ tall and spreading to 1′ wide in about 5 years. Not bothered by deer – YAY and a great perennial for rural areas. In urban places the only protection it requires is from your flower arranger friends cause the subtle color combination in this flower can be tastefully echoed in a bouquet. Naturally cold tolerant and very easy to grow. Protect from Cutworms on emergence. Long lived perennial
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