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'Tugela Jade' (Eucomis)

Flower Description: Greenish white flowers with startling, bright lime green leaves and "top knots," sure to be a knockout in your garden. Flower stems are larger in size, both in width and height than 'Innocence'. Seedpods are also bright green. 24 to 30 Inches. Zones 7-11, colder with winter mulch, August/September Flowering.

Hardy to USDA Zone 6 to 7 with an insulating mulch or lift bulbs to store in a frost-free location. (We have bulbs against our house, Zone 7/8, in a slightly raised bed, protected from our winter rainfall of 50+ inches.) Sent to you bare root, plant our large, heavy bulbs after danger of deep frost is past and soil begins to warm (e.g. May in Seattle), spacing 6 to 10 inches apart, covered with 4 inches of fluffy, amended soil. If desired, light mulch after top growth begins.

Bulbs are all large size that either flowered this past summer or are expected to bloom when transplanted back into the garden. Flowering stems begin very tiny and continue to expand throughout summer. Eucomis are long-lived and although they prefer to be left undisturbed, offsets can be detached from the mother bulb in fall, taking an additional two years before the babies flower. Bulbs are guaranteed true-to-name, not for failure to bloom first summer, loss due to overwatering or over wintering.

Hardy to USDA Zone 6 to 7 with an insulating mulch or lift bulbs to store in a frost-free location. (We have bulbs against our house, Zone 7/8, in a slightly raised bed, protected from our winter rainfall of 50+ inches.) Sent to you bare root, plant our large, heavy bulbs after danger of deep frost is past and soil begins to warm (e.g. May in Seattle), spacing 6 to 10 inches apart, covered with 4 inches of fluffy, amended soil. If desired, light mulch after top growth begins.

Eucomis are long-lived and although they prefer to be left undisturbed, offsets can be detached from the mother bulb in the fall, taking an additional two or three years before the babies flower. Bulbs guaranteed true-to-name, not for failure to bloom first summer or loss over winter.

Pots: cover with 2 to 3 inches of soil, on the dry side until top growth appears, then move into bright light and begin watering. Keep soil slightly moist, not soggy to avoid rot. Use FRESH potting soil each year for best results. We have found that the high-nitrogen soil mixes sold in most “box stores” are not found pleasing to Eucomis and recommend you avoid them. The excess nitrogen tends to rot the bulbs. The soil product ‘Black-Gold’ has been very much to their liking here on the farm. Use a very low nitrogen fertilizer or mild balanced formula as you would for cactus.

Find your USDA Hardiness Zone

The chart published by the USDA and complete interactive searching can be found on the website for the US National Arboretum. When researching your location, bear in mind that the map lines are not absolute and each garden has its own unique micro-climate. Neighborhoods with more trees blocking the wind, hills that "drain" away moisture faster, concrete bulkheads, sidewalks and driveways that tend to collect heat, as well as southern exposures will allow you to grow plants that might not be recommended for your area. The general guidelines are based on average low temperatures are found below. To open a new browser window access the interactive map click USDA Zone Chart

Asiatics (Graffity, Tigerplay, etc.) grow best in zones 1 to 9, no winter mulch is needed and they prefer colder winters to reset bloom.

Purebred Orientals (Casablanca, Star Gazer, etc.), without mulch, zones 6 to 9, but if heavily mulched for winter or with a good snowfall, down to zone 3 or 4 easily.

Purebred Trumpets (Copper King, Pink Perfection, etc.), without mulch, zones 7 to 10; heavily mulched, down to zone 3 or 4, but can be subject to late freeze damage in May, cover emerging stems if temperatures below 30 degrees F. are expected.

Oriental-Trumpet Hybrids (Conca ‘dOr, Sweetheart, etc.), same as Purebred Orientals, but seem to be more resistant to late frost damage, plus because of the “trumpet” genes, they do not require as much winter chill as Oriental lilies, thus are very suitable for southern areas and will take higher heat in summer. (See our Heatbuster™ Collection for more information.)
Zone 1--- ( Below -50 F) --- Fairbanks, Alaska; Resolute, NW Territories (Canada)
Zone 2a --- (-50 to -45 F) --- Prudhoe Bay, Alaska; Flin Flon, Manitoba (Canada)
Zone 2b --- (-45 to -40 F) --- Unalakleet, Alaska; Pinecreek, Minnesota
Zone 3a --- (-40 to -35 F) --- International Falls, Minnesota; St. Michael, Alaska
Zone 3b --- (-35 to -30 F) --- Tomahawk, Wisconsin; Sidney, Montana
Zone 4a --- (-30 to -25 F) --- Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota; Lewistown, Montana
Zone 4b --- (-25 to -20 F) --- Northwood, Iowa; Nebraska
Zone 5a --- (-20 to -15 F) --- Des Moines, Iowa; Illinois
Zone 5b --- (-15 to -10 F) --- Columbia, Missouri; Mansfield, Pennsylvania
Zone 6a --- (-10 to -5 F) --- St. Louis, Missouri; Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Zone 6b --- (-5 to 0 F) --- McMinnville, Tennessee; Branson, Missouri
Zone 7a --- (0 to 5 F) --- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; South Boston, Virginia
Zone 7b --- (5 to 10 F) --- Little Rock, Arkansas; Griffin, Georgia
Zone 8a --- (10 to 15 F) --- Tifton, Georgia; Dallas, Texas
Zone 8b --- (15 to 20 F) --- Austin, Texas; Gainesville, Florida
Zone 9a --- (20 to 25 F) --- Houston, Texas; St. Augustine, Florida
Zone 9b --- (25 to 30 F) --- Brownsville, Texas; Fort Pierce, Florida
Zone 10a --- (30 to 35 F) --- Naples, Florida; Victorville, California
Zone 10b --- (35 to 40 F) --- Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida
Zone 11 --- (above 40 F) --- Honolulu, Hawaii; Mazatlan, Mexico