Dierama igneum

Dierama igneum is part of a genus of perennials poetically called Angel's Fishing Rods. They are South African plants that resemble grasses and offer a delightful summer flowering with pendulous bell-shaped flowers hanging from long, flexible, and arching stems. This modest-sized dierama is a little hardier and more tolerant of poor and dry soils once well established. Its flowering is early compared to varieties derived from Dierama pulcherrimum. Its small campanulate flowers, ranging from coral pink to salmon, bloom abundantly from June, dominating a very fine, evergreen tuft of grey-green foliage. In the garden or in pots, Dieramas are appreciated for their infinitely graceful flowering.

Dierama igneum is an evergreen plant with corms. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is native to sunny and cool meadows in South Africa, specifically Lesotho and Swaziland, and also the Drakensberg Mountains. It resembles a grass, with an erect tuft of long grey-green leaves, reaching a height of 35cm (14in) and, after many years, a diameter of 35cm (14in) at the base. From June to August, long, slender, and sturdy stems, up to 60cm (24in) in length, emerge from the foliage. They bear branched spikes 2cm (1in) long and wide, displaying campanulate flowers with lanceolate petals. The flowers bloom one after the other. The nectar-rich flowering attracts many pollinating insects. The pollinated flowers give way to small, ovoid capsules containing numerous small, hard brown seeds, which will germinate after the winter cold. Plants grown from seeds will flower after 5 to 7 years of cultivation.

Invite this marvel into your garden where it deserves a prominent place, planted in a large pot on a patio, planted in isolation, along a path, or in a border not far from a water source. Dierama igneum is hardy down to -10°C (14°F) in dry soil during winter. It is very well adapted to coastal areas, and tolerates the wind carrying salty spray. It looks superb in the company of grasses (Miscanthus, Eragrostis, Panicum), or along a path, especially when the light shines through its backlit flowering vegetation. Near a pond, it can be planted with, for example, willowherbs, ribbons of bergenia, a purple phormium, Gomphostigma virgatum 'Silver Butterfly', or even meadow rues (Thalictrum delavayi, Thalictrum flavum ssp. glaucum).