One flowering perennial plant that does well in our area is
the blackberry-lily. We have a planting at our East Port Environmental Campus
and it has done excellent! Often called leopard-lily because of the
spotted flowers, the blackberry-lily is really named after the mature inedible
fruit that is shaped like a blackberry. A member of the Iris family, the
blackberry-lily is a colorful and durable perennial that needs to be planted in
more of our local landscapes. If you have never seen a blackberry-lily, the
following description will help you appreciate this plant.
Growing at least two feet tall, the leaves of the
blackberry-lily are like those of an iris. During our warmer months, the
flowers bloom vigorously, lasting only a day or two, but are followed by a
constant supply of new blooms. The two-inch flowers are bright orange-yellow in
color with reddish spots. A fruit then develops in the form of a
three-chambered capsule that opens when ripe to reveal a set of clustered black
seeds looking just like a blackberry. This long-lasting seed cluster is often
used in dried flower arrangements. While in the northern parts of Florida
blackberry-lilies perform as a short-lived perennials, in our area they are
evergreen. In the landscape, use blackberry-lilies as a groundcover, along a walkway or in mass planting as a focal accent. In a mass planting, set individual plants about three feet apart for best coverage. While blackberry-lilies like full sun, these perennials have the ability to flower abundantly even in partial shade. One source even indicates that they do best in light to moderate
shade in our climate – I would recommend this. In
fact, leaf scorch can occur during the summer
in full sun, so keep this in mind when picking
a planting site. Plant these lilies in a well-drained site with plenty of
organic matter. Well-drained soil is a must as
crown rots can develop in wet soils.
Blackberry-lilies are drought-tolerant once
they are established and are considered Florida-Friendly Landscaping™
plants.
Blackberry-lilies can get crowded
as they develop into larger clumps and will benefit from division from time to
time – every third or fourth year – to encourage top flower production. Seeds
can also be germinated to produce more plants. There are other blackberry-lily
relatives sometimes available including the dwarf blackberry-lily and
candy-lilies. The dwarf blackberry-lily only grows about 12 inches tall and has
yellow flowers occasionally spotted with orange. Candy-lilies are hybrids that
produce spotted or streaked flowers in many different colors including red,
orange, blue, purple, pink and yellow in single and bicolor cultivars. They are
much more colorful than the other blackberry-lily relatives and are worth
growing. Where can you find these perennials? Check at local garden centers or
explore mail-order Internet sources. If you don’t see them locally, ask to see
if a garden center will order them. If you like perennials, blackberry-lilies
are a good selection! For more information on all types of perennials
suitable for our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the
Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340
for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.
Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area. Please
check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.
Resources:
Garofalo,
J. (2002) Blackberry-lily, A Flowering Perennial for South Florida. Miami-Dade
County - the University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.
Gilman,
E.F. (2014) Belamcanda chinensis. UF/IFAS Extension Service.
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection
& Landscape Design (2010) the University of Florida Extension Service,
IFAS.
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