Watsonia pillansii
Beatrice watsonia, Bugle lily, Bugle iris
Also known as Watsonia beatricis
- Height × spread
- 1.2m × 0.3m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This exotic plant makes a fan of upright, iris like foliage. The flowering spike is sturdy and bears flaring scarlet, orange or red flowers in summer, often going well into autumn. The colour is vibrant and heart-warming. Close examination shows them to be long tubes with widely flaring lips, their faces opening flat with flared petal tips. This is not drought tolerate but does need gritty or sandy soil that is swift draining. It is not reliably hardy but will generally survive if mulched - using material such as ashes that drain swiftly, to cover the corms during winter.
- Flower colour
- Orange, Red
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Column
- Height
- 1.2m
- Spread
- 0.3m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Gravel garden, Exotic garden, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade, tolerates light shade
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Use for
- Bee attraction
- Hazards
- No
AutumnNow
Autumn · Planting
Lift before winter
Lift bulbs. tubers or rhizomes in autumn, to keep for the following year. Keep dry and in a frost-free location for the winter. Re-plant in spring.
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming 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 · Outdoors
Water during dry periods
For plants in the ground, when there has been little or no rain for a period of 7-10 days and the soil is dry, give it a deep watering and repeat weekly until there is a downpour of rain. Check plants in pots more frequently, especially in hot weather.
Winter
Winter · Outdoors
Water lightly during dormancy
The soil should be kept just moist during the plant's rest period.