Bulbine: This tough Aloe relative just loves to bloom!

This is Texas for you. A few days ago we were having frosts. Yet I came back to Dallas from Cincinnati on Sunday to 86F degrees, sunny skies and blooms in the garden. One such plant that decided this return to warmth was permission to get it's bloom on was my dwarf Bulbine. I believe this is 'Tiny Tangerine', but I'll have to dig around in my stash of labels to confirm.

Bulbine are a beautiful and easy to grow upright fleshy plant that is a cousin to Aloe and Kniphofia (red hot poker). It thrives in hot, dry conditions and can often excel where other plants wither in the Texas summers. I like planting it alongside other succulents, grasses and lavender; all plants that appreciate full sun, good drainage and less frequent waterings. This is a great plant for a waterwise garden.