Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate regularly - this plant is noted as easily grown and tolerating a wide range of soils though best with good drainage and ample irrigation. Hardy to around 25°F. This is an attractive and useful plant for use in the rock garden, pond edge or in an irrigated border.

Bulbinella hookeri is native to New Zealand and found in both the North Island, from Mount Taranaki east to the Huiarau Range, Volcanic Plateau and Ruahine Range, and in the South Island from Nelson and Marlborough south to the Lowry Peaks Range, where it often grows in moist sites. The fleshy root was apparently eaten by the indigenous Maori people. Bulbinella are only found in South Africa and New Zealand. This plant was originally described from specimens collected by John Carne Bidwell at a boggy area in alluvial plains at the upper part of the Wairau. J.D. Hooker described this plant as Chrysobactron hookeri in 1851 in the “Botanical Magazine” (later Curtis). Hooker later revised the name to Anthericum hookeri in 1864 but it was later published in the New Zealand Flora in 1906 as Bulbinella hookeri as described by Thomas Frederic Cheeseman. Our thanks to John Bleck for providing our original stock and picture for this plant. 

Information displayed on this page about Bulbinella hookeri 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.