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Ixia 'Spotlight'

corn lily 'Spotlight'

'Spotlight' is a cormous perennial to about 40cm, with narrowly linear leaves. White, star-shaped flowers with a dark purple eye and deep pink stripe on the reverse of alternate petals, are carried on wiry stems in late spring or early summer

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1–2 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

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: Iridaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Ixia are cormous perennials with narrowly-linear leaves and colourful, star-shaped flowers carried on wiry stems
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Outdoors grow in well-drained soil in full sun in frost-free areas, or lift corms in autumn and store in dry, frost-free conditions while dormant. Under glass, plant corms 10-15cm deep in peat-free, loam-based potting compost with added leaf mould and sharp sand. Grow in full light, watering sparingly until flower spikes appear, then water freely and apply high potash liquid feed every two to three weeks until foliage fades.

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn when digging bulbs up for winter storage. Separate the bulbs and replant as new clumps in the spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Patio and container plants
Mediterranean climate plants
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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