Cyrtanthus mackenii - Two Tone Evergreen - 10 bulbs p-pack

Cyrtanthus
How to plant, care for and grow Cyrtanthus

Family	Amaryllidaceae
Name derived from	Greek Kyrtos meaning curved and anthos meaning flower
Common names	Scarborough lily, fire lily, Ifafa lily, George lily, Knysna lily
Sun Exposure	C. falcatus: Semi-shade C. galpinii: Full sun C. elatus: Full sun and semi-shade C. mackenii: Semi-shade C. obliquus: Full sun
Flower Colours	From bright red or rose to orange, yellow or cream
Frost Tolerance	Low, should be protected by mulching

 
Cyrtanthus is a true bulb and is originally from South Africa and Swaziland. There are 60 different species including:

• Summer-growing species such as falcatus which flowers in early summer and C. galpinii which flowers in winter.
• Evergreen species such as elatus which has pink to deep red and seldom white flowers; C. mackenii which flowers freely and smells sweet and C. obliquus which offers twisted leaves that spiral.

At maturity the different species will be different lengths as follows:

• C. falcatus: 20-30cm
• C. galpinii: 12-20cm
• C. elatus: 25-45cm
• C. mackenii: 25-40cm
• C. obliquus: 35-60cm

Seasons and planting

 
Cyrtanthus require well-draining sandy soil with some compost and are grown best in a pot or in a rockery. The spacing between the bulbs should be 5cm and the lowest temperature is 5°C for C. galpinii and 0°C for the other species. They should be kept completely dry during dormant periods and it is recommended to only lift the bulbs during this season if there are no alternatives.
Propagation
Can be propagated with seeds sown when ripe or by offsets.