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Dietes bicolor 'Liz's Selection' (Yellow Wild Iris) - An evergreen rhizomatous perennial with clusters of fans of 2-to-3-foot fall, narrow light green sword-shaped leaves. Like the species this selection has yellow flowers with brownish maroon blotches at the base of the petals, but this form was selected for its larger and darker yellow flowers. The individual flowers, on a branching inflorescence rising just above the foliage, only last for one day but are quickly replaced by another over a long period. Flowering occurs off and on for most of the year but primarily in the warmer months from spring to fall.
Plant in full coastal sun or light shade with regular to occasional irrigation though it can be tolerate much drier conditions, particularly in coastal gardens when grown in light shade. It is cold hardy to about 20-25 degrees F. A good looking grassy foliaged plant in the garden that can be used individually or for mass plantings.
Dietes bicolor grows native in the summer rainfall Bathhurst area of Eastern Cape region of South Africa. The species is considered to be the most primitive of the Dietes, a genus which is only found in Africa from Ethiopia south to the Cape and also on Lord Howe island, between Australia and New Zealand. The name for the genus is from the Greek words 'di' meaning "twice" or "dual" and 'etes' meaning "affinities" because of this plants close relationship to the genus Moraea and the Iris of the Northern Hemisphere. The Dietes were once included with the Moraea, which grow from a corm, but were split off into their own genus because they are rhizomatous plants. Although this genus was described in the 19th century, these plants are often still mistakenly called Moraea. The specific epithet means two colored in reference to the yellow petals with the maroon spot. Our crops have been built up from a single 5 gallon plant given to us in 1999 by Liz Kimmel, manager of the now closed Sperling Nursery in Calabasas, California.
Information displayed on this page about Dietes bicolor 'Liz's Selection' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will 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.
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