Veltheimia bracteata
at Digging Dog

Forest Lily

Veltheimia

Veltheimia bracteata 

Donning the namesake of an 18th century German plant enthusiast and botanical patron, August Ferdinand von Veltheim, this extraordinary South African bulb counts Eucomis and Galtonia among its kin.

The 3 in. wide, deep green foliar straps stretch to a foot in length and are distinguished by decorative, undulating margins. Achieving a lustrous and lush-looking, nearly evergreen rosette, the upwardly arching leaves decline in late spring, reappearing at summer’s end.

Brilliant green buds burst forth, premiering Kniphofia-like, pendulous, cylindrical florets in rosy pink hues. Poised atop mottled, earth-toned stalks, the waxy, green-tipped blooms hold their color for up to a month, rendering them irresistible to hummingbirds and florists alike. A visual delight for a warm, sheltered terracotta vessel, this pest resistant, undemanding beauty should be planted just beneath the soil surface in a well draining, almost sandy, soil and kept dry during its summer dormancy.

Blooms February–early April.

Size: 12"–18" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 9.

AVAILABLE FALL 2008

Veltheimia bracteata (P-1289)
Each $7.00
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