Tuesday, 24 December 2013

Happy Christmas


Jacobean Lilies (Sprekelia) have opened, as usual, just in time for Christmas – clever things. (A very British upbringing makes green and red the natural-seeming colours of Christmas for me. Holly was integral.) It’s a tough bulb for a sunny spot; mine are never watered but with few flowers, its time (more than time), after 10 or so years, to lift the crowded bulbs and replant further apart.
Yesterday I discovered that my sister calls them Scarlet lilies – a good name (although they are not liliums) but they are also known as Aztec Lilies in their home of Central America.
At about 40cm high Sprekelia  formosissima is great for picking for a vase and instantly the house looks like it’s joined into the festive spirit.
Happy Christmas!

Jill Weatherhead  is horticulturist, garden designer and principal at Jill Weatherhead  Garden Design

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