Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and keep fairly dry during its dormancy. It is cold hardy to around 10° F and useful in USDA Zones 8 to 10. A beautiful garden plant that is reliable and requires little maintenance.

Watsonia borbonica grows in the winter-rainfall areas of the Western Cape of South Africa where it is found on sandy soils or on slopes of rocky slopes. The genus Watsonia was named by Philip Miller of Chelsea after his friend the London based physician and naturalist Sir William Watson (1715-1787). The specific epithet references the Ile de Bourbon, which is now called Réunion because it was mistakenly thought to originate from there. Watsonia borbonica is divided into two subspecies, subspecies borbonica and subspecies ardernei, which has stamens that are bent downwards and anthers that lie flat but rise towards the tip while subspecies borbonica has stamens that are bow-shaped to horizontal with horizontal anthers. The white flowering variety is thought to be a selection or hybrid of Watsonia borbonica ssp. ardernei, which is named in honour of H.M. Arderne, the Cape Town businessman whose family established the Arderne Gardens in Claremont, South Africa.

This plant is thought to be the same as one described as Watsonia iridiflora var. O'brieni the Kew Gardens taxonomist Nicholas Edward Brown in 1889 but later described as Watsonia ardernei by Henry Frederick Conrad Sander in 1897 and for years this white cultivar circulated as Watsonia borbonica ssp. ardernei.

The British botanist Brian Matthews wrote a 1994 article titled "A name for the White Watsonia" in The Kew Magazine (V. 11 N. 1) where argued that since white forms of Watsonia ardernei were not known in the wild, this plant should be listed as a cultivar and he suggested the name 'Ardern's White'.

It has been noted however that this plant under various names has been growing in Southern California gardens for over 100 years. In 1929 Theodore Payne (most famous for the California native garden named after him), published a list of Watsonia cultivated by Mrs. J. H. Bullard of Los Angeles. Many of the plants she had cultivated since 1904 were reportedly crosses she had made between Watsonia angusta and Watsonia ardernei. Payne noted that the Bullard Watsonia varieties that he first sold in 1912 and 1913 were the first Watsonias sold to the public and he listed the pure white one he sold as 'Bullard’s White', which he described as "Pure white, large flowers with broad petals, early and profuse bloomer; the best white variety; excellent for forcing."

We first received this plant as a white selection of Watsonia pyramidata and sold it from 1984 until 1991 under this name before changing our listing to 'Bullard's White' in 1992 and have continued to use this name ever since. 

The information displayed on this page about Watsonia borbonica ssp. ardernei 'Bullard's White' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.