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Alpine RockeryBulbs

Albuca flaccida

drooping albuca

A summer-dormant bulb with narrow, grass-like green leaves. In early spring, it bears a tall flower spike of fragrant, hanging yellow flowers with a green base. It produces many small offsets (known as bulbils) around the base, which make leaves like grass whilst young

Synonyms

Albuca canadensis misapplied

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Asparagaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Tufted
Potentially harmful: Humans/Pets: Harmful if eaten, skin irritant
Genus: Albuca are bulbous perennials with linear or narrowly lance-shaped leaves and loose racemes of yellow or white flowers, with three spreading tepals and three forming a tube, each often marked with green or brown on the reverse
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in soil with very good drainage in full sun, outside in mild areas but with winter protection elsewhere

Propagation

Propagate by seed as soon as ripe or remove offsets when the plant is dormant

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Gravel garden
Rock garden
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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