Ixia Mix - Corn lily

The Ixia hybrids in this mix gather several varieties of Blazing Stars resulting from the cross-breeding of different South African species. Each plant offers sumptuous floral spikes in summer where the star-shaped corollas cluster like foliage, displaying varied, pastel or vibrant colours, solid or bicolour, but always with remarkable luminosity. These are perennial plants with corms, semi-hardy, which can be cultivated and sometimes naturalized in mild climates, in sunny and light soil. They deserve pride of place in milder regions and are superb in large flowering pots or planted densely in flower beds. Their strong stems are abundantly adorned with beautiful cut flowers to offer or to indulge in.

Ixia are deciduous perennials with corms native to South Africa. Most species are native to the southwest of South Africa, where a Mediterranean-like climate prevails. They are close relatives of Garden Iris, belonging to the large family of Iridaceae. In this mix of Ixia hybrids, you will find flowers with a wide range of colours, ranging from white to mauve-violet, including cream, mauve, pink, salmon, orange, yellow, and red... Many have a darker macula at the base of the corolla. In Ixia, the colour of the flowers also varies depending on the soil and exposure.

In spring, Ixia forms a clump of medium green leaves, long and slender, with parallel veins, alternate and sword-shaped. Its growth is rapid. Deciduous foliage disappears at the end of summer but is evergreen in mild climates during winter. The floral stems, thin and rigid, reaching an average height of 40-50 cm (16-20in), emerge between two fan-shaped leaves, usually in June, depending on the plants and the climate: in the south, flowering is earlier and the plant goes into rest in summer. The flowering takes the form of spikes of 7 to 12 flowers, 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, in the shape of star-shaped cups, whose tubular corolla is formed by six fused tepals. The flattened, brown, fibrous corm of this plant is semi-hardy, and it resists short frosts of around -5 °C (41°F) to -10 °C (50°F).

Ixia thrives in sunny borders or fields of plants. However, in the southern regions of France, they prefer east or southeast exposures. They will thrive in light, well-drained, sandy, fresh soil in spring and autumn and dry in summer. Ixias pair well with spring bulbous plants with late flowering, such as allium giganteum, arum, eremurus, white lily, and Abyssinian gladiolus. In rock gardens, they bring a delicate and shiny note, both light and very present, in the company of catmints, stipa and pennisetums. Ixia is a perfect plant for planters and pots: this mode of cultivation allows both to enjoy their magnificent flowering up close while protecting them from severe frosts when stored. Finally, they are excellent flowers for cutting.