Out of Africa - Garden Plants – Gloriosa

Name - Gloriosa Rothschildiana is more commonly known as the Gloriosa Lily or Glory Lily from the latin ‘gloria’ which means honour or fame. It was named after Baron Z.W. Rothschild, an authority on birds (and rich man, of course), who brought the flower from Africa and entered it at an exhibition of the English Horticultural Society at the turn of the century.

Description - The flower bears six delicate backward curling (more like backward zooming, they are so angled backwards!) petals with scalloped yellow edges each approximately 3-4 inches across. The primary colour is red, shading to cerise with yellow edges to the petals. A secondary version called lutea appears in pink, but is not in cultivation in the UK as yet.

Origin - Originally from tropical Africa, especially Uganda, Gloriosa is also the national flower of Zimbabwe. Since its European introduction it has mainly been grown in Holland as a cutting flower and was first cultivated in the UK in 1902. It’s a pretty difficult job to grow this one, for experienced gardeners only – even in Florida it’s not fully hardy - but well worth it. To begin with, avoid cold temperatures by keeping the plant warm and damp and in bright light. Plant the tubers two inches deep, using well draining soil mixture. Fertilise weekly using a houseplant fertiliser. Grow this one indoors in a large pot; while it is small you can try giving it sunshine outside from 11 am – 3 pm but never leaving it out overnight. Remember that this most unusual vine can clamber to eight feet in height!

For Decoration - These flowers are extremely sensitive to being handled and are often sold to florists in inflatable bags to avoid damage. Wilting flowers can be revived by immersing in deep water for several hours – a large bowl or even a bath will do the job.

Africa Gloriosa photograph by Simon31, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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