An extraordinary member of the iris family, Ferraria crispa ‘B’ strain dazzles with its bizarrely beautiful, frilly-edged flowers that seem almost otherworldly. Native to the winter-rainfall regions of South Africa’s Western Cape, this selection produces intricately ruffled blooms in mottled shades of chocolate, olive-green, and deep maroon, often with blue or purple overtones depending on the strain.
Best suited for pot culture under cover or in very well-drained, sheltered spots in Mediterranean-style rock gardens, Ferraria crispa emerges in late winter to early spring with slender, sword-like leaves followed by its fascinating blooms. Each flower lasts only a day or two, but the plant produces many buds in succession, offering a prolonged display.
Requires full sun and excellent drainage, especially during its summer dormancy, when the bulbs must remain dry. Hardy only to around USDA Zone 9 (approx. -6°C/20°F) — in cooler zones, lift and store dry or grow under cold glass. At illahe these have seen temps as low as 12 degrees F in the last few winters with only a frost blanket in an unheated greenhouse for protection and a mostly drier soil. One crazy story about this bulb, I once left a few bags of them sitting in the shop after a fall sale, I didn’t discover it until 2 years later after it had seen summer temps of 100 degrees and winter temps of 10 degrees F. in a bag in an unheated metal shop building, the bulbs still looked good after two years so I planted them and they emerged about 3 weeks later! Talk about drought tolerant
A spectacular oddity for collectors and those who enjoy the curious and rare in their spring garden palette.
An extraordinary member of the iris family, Ferraria crispa ‘B’ strain dazzles with its bizarrely beautiful, frilly-edged flowers that seem almost otherworldly. Native to the winter-rainfall regions of South Africa’s Western Cape, this selection produces intricately ruffled blooms in mottled shades of chocolate, olive-green, and deep maroon, often with blue or purple overtones depending on the strain.
Best suited for pot culture under cover or in very well-drained, sheltered spots in Mediterranean-style rock gardens, Ferraria crispa emerges in late winter to early spring with slender, sword-like leaves followed by its fascinating blooms. Each flower lasts only a day or two, but the plant produces many buds in succession, offering a prolonged display.
Requires full sun and excellent drainage, especially during its summer dormancy, when the bulbs must remain dry. Hardy only to around USDA Zone 9 (approx. -6°C/20°F) — in cooler zones, lift and store dry or grow under cold glass. At illahe these have seen temps as low as 12 degrees F in the last few winters with only a frost blanket in an unheated greenhouse for protection and a mostly drier soil. One crazy story about this bulb, I once left a few bags of them sitting in the shop after a fall sale, I didn’t discover it until 2 years later after it had seen summer temps of 100 degrees and winter temps of 10 degrees F. in a bag in an unheated metal shop building, the bulbs still looked good after two years so I planted them and they emerged about 3 weeks later! Talk about drought tolerant
A spectacular oddity for collectors and those who enjoy the curious and rare in their spring garden palette.
