Brunsvigia Candelabra Flower

The flowers of Brunsvigia orientalis open in wide sprays of 20-40 blood red florets, in a sphere up to 60cm across. The blooms open between February and April, before the leaves.

Brunsvigia orientalis has four to eight leaves, that grow up to 19cm wide and lie flat on the ground, one atop the other, they emerge around May. This variety grows naturally on sandy, coastal soils of South Africa.

Brunsvigia bulbs are notoriously slow to come into flower and from seed can take more than a decade. We have done much of the hard work for you and you are receiving five or six year old bulbs so they are almost ready to bloom. Depending on conditions you could have flowers as soon as three, maybe five years. We think you will find that they are worth the wait, and the bulbs are extremely long lived.

Brunsvigia are commonly known as Candelabra Lilies, they are native through southern Africa. There they thrive, flowering in autumn after a long, hot spell. After the blooms finish, the foliage grows through winter, enjoying the natural rainfall. Brunsvigia striata produces four to six leathery dark green leaves which lie flat upon the ground, one atop the other. The handsome foliage has a red margin and is covered in little bumps (papillate).
The seeds of Brunsvigia are viable (if pollinated). In their native land the flower actually evolved its circular shape to detach, and roll to spread the see far and wide.

You can treat Brunsvigia as you would Belldonna Lilies or Nerines, which are closely related. They like to bake in the sun, require well drained soil. They should be left to form a clump rather as they resent disturbance. They will bloom best after a long, dry summer so ensure you don`t plant your bulbs anywhere near irrigation! Top dress annually with sulphate of potash. They are also great in pots best to use a cactus/succulent mix.

Supplied as: Bulbs