I HAVE been reflecting on how much I have enjoyed our long season of South African watsonia which flower for us in our Carlyon Bay garden from January through to August. Their flowers range in colour from white to pinks, purples, reds, peachy colours as well as orange.

They are defined by their long tubular shaped flowers, their flower spike which can be branched and by the round corms from which they grow back reliably each year. They are part of the iris family. Some grow up to two metres tall like Watsonia borbonica ‘Arderne’s White’ which usually flowers for us in late-April or May. Others like Watsonia lacata or Watsonia humilis are quite short.

In the wild, they grow right across South Africa and come from very distinct regions and areas of the country. Most are described as mountainous and require a free draining soil although some can benefit from additional compost being added to where they are planted. They generally appreciate a sunny location.

They mix well with other garden border plants including perennials, shrubs and grasses. Their foliage can look a bit tatty after they have flowered and this can be removed but leaving some around them may help protect them over winter. You could also mulch them with a layer of compost in early autumn which would also give some winter protection.

It is important to remember that they are quite tender. Many I do manage to grow in our garden borders but others I keep in containers in sheltered areas around the edges of our bungalow. Sometimes I do experiment with some of them to see if I can get them growing happily in border conditions.

I have recently started to collect seed from many of them. You know when the seed is ready because the seed capsules are brown and often just about to release their seeds. I sow them in trays of gritty free-draining seed compost and keep them fairly moist in the greenhouse. They can take weeks or months until the seedlings emerge and as they grow they gradually need potting on. They can take three or four years before they flower.

Some clumps of watsonia growing in the garden are becoming quite large and possibly congested and so I will divide them in the spring which will make even more plants.

If you don’t grow them, they are well worth giving a go. Their flower shapes and colours are really beautiful.

Martin Pallett