Is That Flower Real?

Tigridia pavonia has an unbelievable flower! I don't know if the bulbs I got were special but each flower is eight inches across. What I have read says the flowers are 4-6 inches across. These are so ridiculously huge I cannot believe it! I keep looking at my plant and asking, "Are you for real?" For me, this shade of red-orange is just the most perfect shade of red. I love red, but red-orange makes my heart skip a beat. 

Tigridia pavonia is one of at least 45 species in the Tigridia genus. The common name is Tiger Flower. Nearly all of them are native to Mexico, with some from Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru.  With their intricate markings, they remind me of our native Calochortus, which can get almost silly with their fanciness. The species has great genetic diversity and the flowers have a wide array of colors and markings. Extensive breeding has produced colors ranging from white, yellow, rose, orange, red, and pink. 

Flowers face the sky and are short-lived, lasting only one day. The night before the flower blooms the pedicel pushes the flower from the spathe. They bloom in the morning and close by the end of the day. Flowers get floppy in the late afternoon right before they close. Tigridia flowers precociously, sometimes the first year after growing from seed in warmer climates. Seed germinates easily in the spring in moist warm media. Seeds form in long pods and look a bit like small rounded brown apple seeds. If you live in sunny Southern California it is a good idea to buy bulbs from a dealer who has collected plants from warmer locations in Mexico, rather than bred in the Netherlands, for better performance in our climate. The stamen filaments of the flower are fused into a column with three large anthers full of pollen on top with a branched style with three deeply divided arms. At the base of the stigma/style are three pools of clear liquid, which I assume are nectar? Tigridia flowers are pollinated by bees, wasps, and flies. 

This bulb is in the Iridaceae family. Numerous publications mention this is a corm and not a bulb, but I also read the opposite. So far, I believe it is a bulb. Tigridia pavonia's long leaves are unusual as they are accordion-pleated or plicate. Lengthwise folds help the thin lance-shaped leaves stand up. Bulbs offset readily and with time produce more and more flowers. My plant is flowering now in the middle of June. Most descriptions of bloom time state that it is a summer or late summer bloomer. The bulb blooms through a succession of ripening buds over several weeks. It is a good idea to divide this plant every 3-4 years if blooms diminish.

Make sure this plant gets watered while it is blooming. By fall the foliage disappears and the plant is dormant until spring. This plant must have a warm position and well-draining soil. The books say it is deer and rabbit-resistant, but my rabbits consider Tigridia a favorite meal. I am using a taste repellent on my plants to keep them from munching. Gophers, too, find this bulb a tasty treat. As long as the soil is well-drained, especially while they are dormant in the winter, they are reportedly hardy to USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 7, and definitely hardy to Zone 8. There is a pure white unspotted form called Tigridia pavonia 'Alba Immaculata'. A yellow spotted form is called Tigridia pavonia 'Aurea'. Aztecs cultivated this plant as food by roasting the bulbs to reduce the calcium oxalate content. 

As long as you have a warm spot, well-drained soil and can keep these bulbs dry in the winter, you should find this plant grows really easily. The flowers are incredible!

Little Salvia that Packs a Punch!

Salvia chamaedryoides                                                                                                                            S. Reeve

I love this little perennial! This is Salvia chamaedryoides a drought-tolerant perennial from Mexico. It is clothed in soft fuzzy aromatic silvery-gray foliage that mixes well with other arid land plants. After a time in full sun it comes in thick and low, about one foot tall, and chokes out weeds. Hummingbirds love it! It takes a couple of years to get growth like this in a bed. It will tolerate a little shade as it seems to be used to skirting taller plants. As perennials go it is unobtrusive and very attractive even when not in bloom, although, it seems to be in bloom all of the time. It is a good solid workhorse that does its job without shouting. The main blooming period is in the spring/summer for several months and it continues into the fall/winter, with another burst of blooms after the heat of the summer. The only time when blooms are less numerous is in the winter, but it still blooms. In the fall it can look a little rough when it is covered in old bloom stalks, but a quick haircut neatens it up in no time. Just grab a handful of what is sticking up into the air and cut it off. It is as simple as that. 

Bed of Salvia chamaedryoides with Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta' and Romneya coulteri                       S. Reeve

 This plant does root unfrequently at the nodes, but this is a good thing if you want it to spread. It is not a thug by any means, and as gardeners, we know a thug when we see one! If the plant goes where it is not desired you can quickly grab a hunk and trim it off. If you find an occasional rooted portion, yank it out of the ground and replant elsewhere if you desire. Salvia chamaedryoides roots shallowly and is effortless to pull out. It also roots easily if transplanted. For me, this is as close to a "no-brainer" plant as I can imagine.  Also if you have a handful of unrooted trimmings some will root if you just cover the lower nodes with soil, and give them a little water. I have a bed of this plant in full sun and it is around 6 feet by 6 feet in several years. Maintenance is as I described, trimming off spent bloom spikes and pruning back straggler edges. The spent bloom spikes are barely visible until there are many of them because they are a fine spike with no flowers. They become visible because they age to a straw color. The bloom spike is low and short and it blooms from the bottom up so there is an extended bloom period for each spike. Here is a photo.

Flower spikes of Salvia chamaedryoides

At one time I had one of the selections of Salvia chamaedryoides, but I think this is the straight species. The flowers are medium/dark true blue with two tiny nectar guides on the lower and upper parts of the corolla. It would be interesting to see this under ultraviolet lights to see what the pollinators see.

Salvia chamaedryoides in bloom with Aloe striata                                      S. Reeve

This plant is hardy to 20 degrees F. It combines well with pretty much everything. The orange edge of Aloe striata leaves and the orange of the Aloe bloom are a nice color complement to the deep blue blooms. I also like combinging is with clear yellow Argyranthemum frutescens 'Beauty Yellow', Acaulis tetraneuris, Agastache 'Arizona Sun' and Euryops pectinatus. Add in Salvia 'Fire Dancer' for some primary color action. Grasses like Festuca glauca would be nice too. There is a selection called 'Marine Blue' that is supposed to be superior, although, I wonder how it could be? It remains unknown but Salvia chamaedryoides 'Marine Blue' is suspected to the product of Salvia chamaedryoides and, possibly, another species. The flowers are a darker blue and the foliage looks greener to me. It comes in thicker and a little taller too. It is more frost tolerant to 10-15 degrees F. 

While generally easy-care this plant must have excellent drainage. It can certainly get by on very little water but looks much better with periodic water. I probably water around every 10 days. Even though it is technically hardy to freezes if it gets wet during the winter and the soil does not drain well this will take it out. Winter wet and cold are a lethal combination. I found no less than five "common names" for this plant so I will stick with Salvia chamaedryoides. Takes a few seconds to master the pronunciation, but at least we know what we are talking about. Because of the distinctive aromatic furry foliage, this plant is deer and rabbit proof. Look for this plant if you are tired of weeding and want a plant that combines well with everything. The hummingbirds will thank you!