Known as the African lily, it is a plant that belongs to the Iridaceae family and the Dietes genus, consisting of only six species of rhizomatous perennial plants. They originate in South Africa, and with the right conditions they can be grown anywhere on the planet . It is also known as rain iris, and its most popular species include colored diets, iridioid diets, grandiflora diets or robinsonian diets.
It is a herbaceous plant that has sword-shaped leaves, dark green, and a size that can exceed half a meter in height. Its flowers are very curious since they only last one day, but the truth is that they do not stop being produced and you will see them constantly. They are white with dark spots and lilac or bluish petals. It is a plant that blooms in spring and early summer. If you want to know everything about the care of the African lily, keep reading this article.
Basic care
Among the basic care of the African lily are:
- Location : it is usually used in clumps or borders under shrubs or trees, but they can also be grown in pots both to put indoors and outdoors. It can develop both in full sun and in semi-shade.
- Temperatures : it is very resistant in this sense, even withstanding frost or wind.
- Soil : it must be very well drained and have organic matter, all being a mixture of garden soil, leaf mulch and sand. You can substitute the mulch for humus.
- Irrigation : it is also very resistant to drought, so a couple of waterings per week will suffice. Always wait for the soil to dry completely between one and the other.
- Fertilizer : apply an organic fertilizer before planting it and another mineral that is special for bulbous plants every 20 days, but only during flowering.
- Pests and diseases : they are very resistant to the most common ones that usually exist in gardens, so unless you do not pay any care, it will not be attacked.
- Multiplication : can be done by dividing the rhizomes after flowering or from seeds sown in spring.
