Pacific Coast Iris

A lovely collection of Pacific Coast Iris grown in a Melbourne garden.

Gladiolus orchidiflorus

Gladiolus orchidiflorus: There are about 255 species of gladioli, most coming from Africa, some winter growing from the Western Cape and others  growing in summer rainfall areas. Orchidiflorus is winter growing and spring flowering, the flower colour varying from greenish cream to purple, with dark purple markings. It is summer dormant. Most gladioli grow readily enough from seed, with the winter growing types planted in autumn. 

Dwarf iris Raspberry Jam

Iris (dwarf) Raspberry Jam:  This attractively coloured   dwarf bearded iris was introduced in 1981. This kind of iris likes a cold winter, and grows with minimal water in summer. It would look good in a large pot, though best re-potted each year after flowering and given some general purpose fertiliser. Bearded iris  prefer slightly alkaline soil. 

Albuca spiralis

Albuca spiralis: This comes from a large genus of South African bulbs, which are generally easy to grow in a well-drained position in full sun. They are summer dormant. The species shown comes from the Western Cape, and plants grown in full sun would normally have very twisted leaves, as suggested by the name.