*** PLEASE NOTE ***
Because of a very cold winter this year (2008-2009), all my mother plants that I divide to make these clumps to sell were killed back to the ground. Therefore, I'm not sure when I will have plants available again (could be fall 2009 or perhaps not until 2010). Sorry for the inconvenience.
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You are buying ONE nice sized PLANT, from 16 - 20 high, of the Fortnight Lily, known in Florida as African Iris or Morea Iris (Dietes iridioides). Some of these have just started blooming, so you may get blooms this year or possibly next. These are growing in small clumps, so you are actually getting more than one 'fan" of these plants, generally there are at least 3 fans, and often more, per clump. This will give you a really nice start of these!
These are evergreen perennials with spreading fans of stiff, leathery sword shaped leaves up to 2 ft in length but only 3/4 wide. The upright clumps of leaves are held in a vertical fanlike plane and they spread on creeping rhizomes. The 2-4 ft flowering stalks, which are perennial, are branched and stiffly wiry, bearing a succession of lovely irislike flowers throughout spring and summer. The 3-inch flowers are milky white with yellow markings, and have blue to purple centers.
The fortnight lilies are often grown in borders because the narrow leaves are evergreen, and provide a strong vertical element. These perform best in the light dappled shade of tall, open trees, but can grow in full sun.
They tolerate poor, dry soils, but do best in a well drained soil with regular watering during the growing season. Reduce water and fertilizer after flowering. Hardy in zones 8 - 10. Fortnight lilies may be killed by severe winters in upper zone 8. Keep dry in winter and protect with mulch. Can be container grown in colder zones.
