Carefree bloomer

Sunset, August, 2006 by Julie Chai

Buttery yellow blooms with velvety chocolate blotches look like fluttering butterflies atop fortnight lily (Dietes bicolor) from spring into fall. What's more, although the flowers resemble small, delicate Japanese irises, this South African native is one tough plant.

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Stiff, narrow evergreen leaves grow in upright clumps that reach 2 to 3 feet tall. Blooms appear in two-week intervals with 2-inch-wide flowers that each last a day.

Look for fortnight lily at nurseries this month; plant it in an area that gets full sun to part shade. Although it grows best in well-drained soil with regular waterings, it can tolerate poor soils and inconsistent or infrequent irrigation once established. This sturdy perennial makes a great landscape plant and is virtually trouble-free in Sunset climate zones 8, 9, and 14-17. If clumps become overgrown, divide in fall or winter.--J.C.