BUGLE
LILY
Family IRIDACEAE
Watsonia various species
Perennial
A race of bulbous plants from South Africa.
The foliage is sword-like and the flowers are
borne in an elegant raceme, each being trumpet-shaped
and varying in size. Ardernei reaches four feet,
with lovely pure white flowers up to three inches
long.
Watsonia meriana is three to four feet high, with bright
pink flowers.
Its var. beatricis is the most desirable species
for garden cultivation, having stems three feet
long bearing a many-flowered spike of two-inch
long apricot-red flowers.
Watsonia angusta, three to four feet, has scarlet flowers.
Watsonia coccinea, also scarlet-flowering, is a dwarf
of twelve inches.
Watsonia densiflora, another dwarf, has rosy-red flowers.
Watsonia rosea (syn. Gladiolus pyramidatus), with rose
flowers, grows three to six feet high.
Given the same treatment as Gladioli, these Watsonias
may be cultivated quite successfully provided
they are planted in well-drained soil that is
rich in humus and fully exposed to the sun.
The corms should be planted in early April and
lifted in the autumn.
Propagate by means of offsets or from seed.
The flowering season is in summer.
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