Tiger flower

Tiger flower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bulb about 50 cm tall and 15 cm wide, with upright flower stems.

Leaves

Sword-shaped and pleated, 30–50 cm long, fresh green, as in a gladiolus.

Flower

Triangular flowers of 10–15 cm, from July to September. Three broad outer and three small inner petals, with a spotted pattern at the centre.

Colour

Red, orange, yellow, pink or white, with dark spots at the centre.

Bulb

Egg-shaped, about 3–4 cm, with a brown tunic; forms offsets over time.

Flowering: July–September · Plants: April–May

Why grow it?

• A striking, exotic flower with a tiger-like pattern, drawing the eye from July to September.
• Each flower lasts a day, but new ones follow for weeks: so you have flowers until September.
• A source of nectar and pollen for bees in summer.
• Compact and easy to combine in a border, a trough or a pot on the patio.
• Just like a gladiolus or dahlia: plant in spring, lift in autumn and store dry.

Tiger flower: where does it grow best?

• Full sun in a warm, sheltered spot, because the heavy flowers and stems catch the wind.
• Free-draining, humus-rich loam or sandy soil, neutral to chalky.
• Normally moist during growth and flowering; never wet, especially after flowering.
• Allow 10–15 cm between bulbs; plant them in groups of at least 10.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: lift the bulbs or tubers before the frost and store them frost-free

Goes well with

• Dahlia: The same sun and care: also lifted in autumn. Colourful flowers in the same weeks.
• Gladiolus: A related plant with sword-shaped leaves, grown in the same way.
• Verbena bonariensis: Tall, airy purple flowers give a calm backdrop to the bright blooms.
• Ornamental grasses: Fine grasses such as feather grass give a light, soft backdrop.

Tiger flower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant the bulbs in April or May, when the risk of hard frost has passed and the soil is warming up.
2. Choose a warm, sunny spot with free-draining soil; in heavy clay mix in compost and a little sand.
3. Plant them about 8 cm deep, pointed end up and 10–15 cm apart.
4. Firm the soil and water generously.
5. In a pot or trough: use a loose, free-draining compost, at least 25 cm deep.

Care

Water

Water during dry spells while it grows and flowers. Reduce in September and stop once the leaves turn yellow.

Feeding

From leaf growth until the end of flowering, give a fertiliser for flowering plants every 2–3 weeks, preferably one rich in potassium.

Spent flowers

Each flower is over after a day. Remove it when it wilts so the next bud has room.

Support

In windy gardens supports or a spot near a wall are useful for the tall stems.

Mulching

A thin layer of compost keeps the soil moist and warm.

Tip: Plant the bulbs in groups of ten or more in a warm spot, so that new flowers open every day. Lift them in October and store them dry and frost-free until spring.

Tiger flower: when to prune it?

When: The tiger flower is not pruned. You only cut off spent stems and dead leaves.

How:

• Cut off spent flowers or stems when they look untidy.
• Leave the leaves until they yellow in October, because the bulb is building up its reserves.
• When lifting, cut the leaves off a few centimetres above the bulb.

Caution: Do not cut off the green leaves before the season is over: the bulb needs them to flower well next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

When lifting in October, detach the small offsets. Store them dry and plant them in spring; they flower after a year or two.

Seed

Sow in March in pots of seed compost at about 18–20 °C. Plant the young plants out after mid-May; they often flower within one or two years.

Tiger flower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 0 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: bulbs left in the ground usually do not survive a Belgian winter with frost.
• Lift the bulbs in October, when the leaves turn yellow. Let them dry in the air for a few days and remove the remains of leaves and old soil.
• Store them dry and frost-free, in a cardboard box with dry peat or sand or in a paper bag, at 5–10 °C. Check them now and then for rot.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: Bulbs turn soft in cold, wet soil or in storage. Plant only in warm soil and store dry and airy.
• Slugs: They nibble young shoots in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• No flowers: Too little sun, bulbs that are too small, or planted too early in cold soil. Choose a sunny spot and plant only when it has warmed up.
• Falling stems: Caused by wind or heavy rain. A support or a sheltered spot helps.

Through the year

• January: Check the stored bulbs for rot.
• March: Sow seed indoors in pots, at about 18–20 °C.
• April: Plant in a warm spot, 8 cm deep.
• May: Plant outdoors after mid-May. Water in dry spells.
• June: The leaves grow. Start feeding.
• July: Flowering begins. Remove spent flowers.
• August: Full flower. Water in dry spells.
• September: Last flowers. Water less.
• October: Lift when the leaves yellow. Dry and store.
• November: Store dry and frost-free.
• December: Storage. Check now and then.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Tigridia refers to the tiger (the spotted centre) and pavonia to the peacock: the flower recalls a peacock’s tail.
• In Nahuatl the plant was called ocelo-xochitl, ‘jaguar flower’: the Aztecs knew it long before Europeans did.
• It belongs to the iris family and, like the gladiolus, has pleated, sword-shaped leaves.