Arthropodium candidum - bronze form
Candid rock lily
Also known as Arthropodium reflexum
- Height × spread
- 0.3m × 0.25m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a grassy-looking plant that makes a clump of foliage having arching or drooping leaves. These are coloured an intriguing, gentle bronzed brown shade. The plant is not actually a grass, a fact revealed in early summer when it flowers. The six-petalled small blossoms are held on slender stems above the foliage, coloured white they look a little like a battalion of hovering insects. General care: Grow this against a contrasting background, or tucked into gravel which helps drainage at its feet. (It can fail if it gets too sodden.) It is a good counterpoint to fat-leaved plants and effective in a raised bed or rock garden. This will not be hardy in all parts of the country, and a suitable candidate for the base of a warm south or west facing wall in colder areas.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Brown
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.3m
- Spread
- 0.25m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Indoors, Gravel garden, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Indoor light
- full light at all times
- Indoor temperature
- - 5C minimum temperature
- Use for
- Wall cover
- Walls
- South, West facing
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Indoors
Apply slow release fertiliser
Apply a slow release fertiliser which is spread around the root area of plants soon after they have come into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Indoors
Water to keep soil moist
Water regularly, but do not leave the plant sodden or with water in a saucer at its feet. It likes to be dry during the winter months.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Winter
Winter · Indoors
Water moderately in winter
Water moderately.
Give a small amount of water so that the plant doesn't become flaccid (leaves lose their firmness and may droop or look lifeless), or dessicated, but do not saturate the compost or leave it standing in water.
Planting & general
Planting
Deadhead blooms during flowering season
Remove flowers as they turn brown and fade. Snip the stem just below the bloom. This will keep the plant tidy and encourage more flowers.
The removal of spent flowers encourages the plant to produce fresh ones, rather than spend its energy on the development of seeds.
Compost · Planting
Loam based compost + sand for repotting
Use a standard loam based compost that is not modified to make it 'moisture retentive'.
Alternatively prepare your own mixture using a loam based compost (John Innes no. 2 or 3) with a handful or two of horticultural sand to make the soil more free-draining.
Indoor temperature · Planting
-5C minimum temperature
This plant requires a minimum temperature of -5 Centigrade.
Indoor plant · Planting
Position in a sunny spot, close to window
Give this plant a position where there is as much light and sunlight as possible, within 2-3 metres of a sunny or bright window (one that is south, east, or west facing).