Eremurus robustus

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giant desert candle

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giant desert candle RHS

Other common names

foxtail lily

Award of Garden Merit
Herbaceous Perennial
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A large plant with rosettes of blue-green leaves to 1.2m long and 10cm wide. Flower spikes to 3m, individual flowers palest peachy-pink to 4cm across, the petals with brown-marked bases, stamens yellow. Attractive to butterflies

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–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)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Asphodelaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Columnar upright
Genus
Eremurus are herbaceous perennials growing from fleshy roots, with rosettes of strap-shaped basal leaves and a dense racemes of small star-shaped flowers on erect leafless stems
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
C Asia

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, sandy, well-drained loam in full sun, with shelter from wind. Mulch with garden compost in autumn, but avoid covering the crown. Young spring growth can be protected with a dry mulch

Propagation

Propagate by seed by sowing in containers in a cold frame in autumn or at 15°C (59°F) in late winter. Can also be propagated by division after flowering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Prairie planting
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Banks and slopes
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Slugs may cause damage

Diseases

Generally disease-free