Peruvian Daffodil

Peruvian Daffodil (Hymenocallis speciosa) is grown for one thing: large white spider flowers with a cup at the centre and long curling petals, carried well above broad strappy leaves. The clump reaches about 60cm tall and 40cm across, so it belongs at a border edge or in a pot. The scent builds through the evening, and the bulbs multiply year after year.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers with real presence. White, spidery and up to 15cm across, on stems that hold them clear of the foliage.
• Evening fragrance. The perfume strengthens through the afternoon, so plant it near a door or an outdoor table.
• It multiplies. Clumps thicken each year as the bulbs offset, so one planting keeps improving instead of fading out.
• Heat, humidity and damp ground. Heat tolerant, humidity tolerant and happy with wet feet, and it asks for very little beyond water in the growing season.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. A pot 300mm or wider holds three plants comfortably, and containers let you move the scent to wherever people sit.

Borders and edging. At 60cm tall it belongs at the front of a bed. Space plants 40cm apart along the edge for a continuous strappy band that flowers together.

Mass planting and features. The same 40cm spacing across a bed gives a full mass planting, while a single well grown clump beside a path or a water feature earns its place.

Growing Peruvian Daffodil in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to partial shade, with afternoon shade helping in the hottest gardens. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate plant that takes light frost only, so in cold districts grow it in a pot and move it under cover for winter.

Soil. Rich, moisture retentive soil with compost worked through. It is one of the few bulbs that genuinely tolerates wet feet, so a damp bed beside a pond or a downpipe suits it, though not soil that stays waterlogged all year.

Water and feed. Water regularly through spring and summer while the leaves are up, then ease right off once the foliage dies back. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring, plus a liquid feed as the flower stems appear, gives the strongest display.

Pruning. Remove spent flower stems at the base. Leave the leaves until they yellow naturally, because that is when the bulb stores energy for next season.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in two sizes, 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. Both arrive as growing plants rather than dry bulbs, which is the easier way to start them. Packs suit how this plant is used, since a single clump rarely looks like much and a group of ten along a border certainly does.

Because it is deciduous, plants delivered in the cooler months may arrive with little or no foliage above the bulb. That is natural dormancy, and growth returns as the soil warms. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee. Expect flowers in the first or second season.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to grow spider lilies
• Browse the flowering plant range
• Other fragrant plants for a border
• Plants that perform in containers

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. It sits in the amaryllis family, and the bulbs and foliage are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed or dug up and eaten. Plant it where pets do not dig, or keep it in a raised pot.

Why did the leaves die back?

That is normal. The plant is deciduous and rests through the cooler months, then returns from the bulb in spring. Reduce watering during dormancy rather than trying to keep it green.

How far apart should I plant them, and do they need lifting?

Forty centimetres apart for a mass planting or a border run, which gives each clump room to widen and offset. In a warm garden leave the bulbs in the ground to thicken up; only in cold frosting districts is lifting worth the trouble.