Friday, April 1, 2016

Ixia in Bloom

Ixia, wand flower, small sunny garden, amy myers, desert garden, arizona garden, photography
Ixia is a surprise flower this spring.

That is, I planted it last spring, expecting it to bloom sometime during the summer.  Not only did it not bloom, it did not even sprout until last winter.  By that time I had given up on it altogether; and in fact, I ignored it when the leaves came along, looking rather like miniature gladiolus swords.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, it bloomed.
Ixia, wand flower, small sunny garden, amy myers, desert garden, arizona garden, photography
Well worth keeping around the garden, if possible!

Now Ixia is a mild-climate cormous plant from South Africa.  Though I've not grown it before, I think of it as a "summer bulb" type.  However, apparently a late spring/early summer bloomtime is normal where it is fully adapted, though in this case it was more like mid-spring -- or so I hope, fending off full summer as long as possible!

I think the schedule of my particular corms was entirely upset when they first arrived.  The supplier (McClure and Zimmerman) is in Wisconsin, and it is a bit difficult to sync good shipping times between the two climates, especially for spring planting.  Autumn planting would clearly be a better choice where winter temperatures permit.  It is said to be hardy to about -10 F (-23 C).

All the plants that bloomed had flowers of creamy-white with a dark blotch at centre.  So much for "mixed" colours, but they are quite attractive anyway.
Ixia, wand flower, small sunny garden, amy myers, desert garden, arizona garden, photography
Now hopefully they will go dormant through the worst of summer and come back on schedule next winter and spring!
Ixia, wand flower, small sunny garden, amy myers, desert garden, arizona garden, photography
Weather Diary: Fair; High: 78 F (26 C)/Low: 51 F (11 C)

6 comments:

  1. It's such a nice feeling when our gardens give us wee surprises now and again isn't it Amy? A very pretty addition to your garden and I hope it continues to thrive in years to come.

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    1. It is indeed -- one of the special things about working with nature ;-) Thanks so much, Angie!

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  2. A lovely surprise indeed Amy! I shall make a note of this one too and perhaps order some to plant this fall. I love trying the different bulbs and I have learned of so many new ones to try from your efforts. A really pretty addition to the garden!

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    1. I keep rummaging through all my books to find the warm-winter bulbs that might grow here - quite a different set from the ones I was most familiar with ;-) Ixia is recommended for growing in pots in areas that receive regular summer rain, so that might be something to bear in mind when planning.
      BTW, I hope to be back on IG early this week; having ordered a new phone to replace the one that quit, I had the bad sense/luck to jam the SIM card inside and must take it all into the shop to get it fixed! X/

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  3. I'm glad to see that you experimented with Ixia, Amy. It's a great plant and multiplies readily under the right conditions. They always seem a surprise when they show up here too. My magenta ones have already bloomed but the yellow ones in another bed have yet to show up - last year, I think their timing was the opposite so it appears they like to keep the gardener off-balance.

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    1. Tempermental little plants, I guess! It sounds like yours come back reliably (bloom time aside!), so I'll look forward to going on with these - may try some other colors too!

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