About
Babiana nana is a unique, small cormous perennial characterized by its elongated, ribbed green foliage. In spring, it produces sizable, fragrant flowers that range in color from blue to purple, adorned with white markings.
About the genus
Babiana consists of perennial plants that grow from corms. They feature upright, ribbed leaves that are narrowly lanceolate in shape. The plants produce spikes adorned with funnel-shaped flowers, which are frequently fragrant.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs, Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants
- Native to
- South Africa (Cape)
- Fragrance
- Flower
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow under glass from corms in autumn. Plant into peat-free John Innes No 2 compost and grow on in full light. Apply a weak, balanced liquid fertiliser every 3 weeks before flowering. Dry off as the leaves die down in summer. Corms can also be bought in spring for planting outside for a one off summer blooming, but after this, would need to be grown under glass and allowed to winter grow. Plant corms 15cm (6in) deep
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed as soon as ripe in autumn in a temperature of 13°C-15°C (55°F-59°F). Remove offsets when the corms are dormant in autumn. Pot into equal parts peat-free, loam-based compost and sharp sand
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free