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I grow a number of different forms of Watsonia wilmaniae. This peachy pink form came from
Mark Fillan. The others came from Proper Plants. They have all grown strongly in the garden. Peter Goldblatt says: "named after Miss M. Wilman who introduced the species to Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens where flowering speciens formed the basis for the decription. Watsonia wilmaniae is endemic to the mountains of the southern Cape. It occurs along streams and the edges of marshes in the Swartberg and Kammanassie mountains and locally in similar habitats between George and Knysna in the lower valleys and foothills of the Outeniqua mountains. Plants tend to grow in dense clumps in wetter more favourable sites, sometimes entirely blocking streambeds and preventing erosion as does the palmiet, Watsonia wilmaniae is somewhat unusual in the genus in the variability of its flower colour. Populations in the Swartberg mountains consist of plants with flowers ranging from deep red to orange, pink and cream. Elsewhere the colour has been variously described as red, orange or purple. Watsonia wilmaniae was apparently first collected by Miss M. Wilman who provided plants to Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens for cultivation. The material, of unrecorded locality and collected some years before 1925, formed the basis of the description by Mathews and L.Bolus in 1927." Pan Global Plants say: "From the mountains of the S Cape, this mid-summer flowering species has bright orange-scarlet flowers in this clone, on stems to 1.5m high. A natural lover of moisture, give this a site in full sun and good soil that doesn't dry out too much in summer. Best with some shelter." |
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| 13th July 2005 | ||
