A bulbous perennial to 30cm, with the the very striking blooms coming out before the large, broad leaves. Scarlet/orange petals surround a mass of stamens on a spotted flower stalk, resembling a shaving brush to some.
This is a plant that will stop you in your tracks when you first see it. Not easy to come by and easy to lose if it is in the wrong place, it rewards you with a display in shade like no other. At a time when Amaryllis and Nerine are blazing away in the sun this slightly coy plant asks you to go and look it out in whatever corner it has become established in. Those who grow it, highly recommend it.
Click here to view the Haemanthus coccineus page in Karin’s Garden.