Galtonia viridiflora

Common Name:
Summer hyacinth
Plant Type:
Bulbous perennial
Family:
Liliaceae (The Lily Family)
Geographic Origin:
South and southern Africa
California Native?:
No

Plant Size:
3 feet or more high
Landscape/Garden Uses:
shade gardens
Flowering Season:
Summer

Flower Color:
Green
Exposure:
Light shade
Soils:
Most soils

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 15 degrees F. or less

One of the most robust and easily grown of the bulbs we have tried, quickly forming many-stemmed colonies. Several thick, strap shaped leaves emerge from each bulb in spring, elongating to 2-3 feet. The flowering stems appear in midsummer, poking up rapidly to as much as 5 feet and displaying dozens of green, bell shaped blossoms in lengthy succession. It dies to the ground in winter and will easily take freezes of 18 degrees F or less, especially if the bulbs are mulched. Sun or shade near the coast, part shade inland, most soils, moderate watering.