Homeria ochroleuca - Cape tulip

Homeria ochroleuca (synonym Moreae ochroleuca) is a charming bulbous plant known as the Cape Tulip. It is discreet but elegant, interesting for its early and fragrant spring flowering of pretty pale yellow flowers with orange hearts that exude a musky fragrance. It is not very hardy and well adapted to dry summers and grows in rockeries on the Mediterranean coast where it expands over time and faithfully blooms every year. Elsewhere, you can plant the bulbs in a pot to be stored dry during the summer dormancy period, and in a slightly heated greenhouse in winter.

Homeria ochroleuca belongs to the iridaceae family, just like irises and ixia, to which it bears a resemblance. This botanical species is native to the Cape region in South Africa, which has a Mediterranean climate with wet winters and dry summers. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a storage organ called a corm. Flowering occurs from late March to April, earlier or later depending on the climate. The winter vegetation consists of long, narrow, bright green leaves. The erect flower stems are 65 to 75 cm (26 to 30in) tall, with few branches. Cup-shaped flowers, 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2in) in diameter bloom at the end of these branches. Each flower has 6 elongated, pale yellow petals and an orange centre. The fruit is a green capsule that turns brown when ripe and contains small brown seeds. Some time after flowering in early summer, the vegetation dries up and the plant goes into dormancy. The corm of the Cape Tulip perishes below -5°C (23°F) and it is sensitive to excessive moisture during the dormant period.

Homeria ochroleuca is a charming little bulbous plant that brings colour and fragrance to rockeries and flower beds. Plant it in small groups of 10 among Mediterranean scrubland shrubs, with botanical tulips and narcissus that bloom at the same time. Its low cold resistance means that it is often used to decorate terraces or balconies. To plant with it, consider other beautiful South African plants like Felicia, Gazania, or Cape Daisies (Osteospermum) that appreciate the same growing conditions.