We have wanted to talk about a species that we believe is very interesting for gardening and landscaping for some time. This is Bulbine frutescens, a species with flowering during almost the entire year.
At Viveros Sala Graupera we have two varieties, Bulbine frutescens, and Bulbine frutescens ‘Hallmark’.
The Bulbine species belongs to the *Asphodelaceae family, *native to South Africa.
Its foliage can measure 20/30 centimeters long, but together with the inflorescence it can reach 50/60 centimeters in height, by 60/70 centimeters wide; as we see it is a low-growing plant, which will give us a lot of color and structure during the four seasons of the year.
Perennial plant with long evergreen and cylindrical leaves, succulent leaves with properties similar to Aloe vera. A common characteristic in both bulbines is the ease with which the stems root in the ground, a property that allows them to spread slowly, forming a thick groundcover.
In mild climates flowering can be continuous throughout the year, but in colder climates it stops during winter. Its inflorescences are arched and open from bottom to top progressively. The color of the flower depends on each variety, being yellow in the frutescens variety, and orange in the frutescens ‘Hallmark’ variety
Image of Bulbine frutescens ‘Hallmark’. http://plantinfo.co.za
It is a species belonging to hardiness zone number 9, with an average minimum annual temperature range of -6.6 / -1.2°C, showing very little frost resistance.
Bulbine frutescens tolerates lime well, prefers poor soils with good drainage. It is not necessary to use any type of fertilizer, unless it grows in a container. It has also proven to be a very drought-tolerant species. It only requires support watering during the 5-10 weeks after planting, once well rooted it does not require any watering, it will only be necessary to do a support watering in the summer months that have a very prolonged drought period.
It is interesting to cover the soil with some species of mulch to retain soil moisture and avoid the appearance of unwanted herbs; we do not recommend the use of anti-weed mats, since if so it would not allow rooting the branches in the ground for their slow progression in the terrain.
From Sala Graupera we recommend planting in early autumn, in this way the plant has all winter and spring to develop a root system deep enough to successfully survive the first summer.
Its preferred location is in full sun, it is suitable for very monotonous sustainable gardens, when we want to break the green giving a touch of color during almost the entire year.
We can consider it a very functional plant, it can be used for the creation of dense masses of low height development. It is also suitable for planting in containers or planters on terraces and balconies, to enjoy its prolonged flowering.
The recommended planting density is 2/3 plants per m2 if we want to achieve a uniform mass, or 3 per linear meter if we seek to achieve a border.
It is a very recommendable and versatile plant, which we encourage you to try.