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Products > Dietes grandiflora 'Sunstripe'
 
Dietes grandiflora 'Sunstripe' - Yellow Striped Fortnight Lily
   
Image of Dietes grandiflora 'Sunstripe'
 
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Perennial
Family: Iridaceae (Irises)
Origin: South Africa (Africa)
Evergreen: Yes
Yellow/Chartreuse Foliage: Yes
Variegated Foliage: Yes
Flower Color: White
Bloomtime: Spring/Summer
Synonyms: [D. vegeta 'Yellow Variegated', 'Centeno’s Gold']
Height: 2-3 feet
Width: 3-4 feet
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F
Dietes grandiflora 'Sunstripe' (Yellow Striped Fortnight Lily) - This evergreen rhizomatous perennial produces clumps of long, upright narrow leaves that reach 4 feet tall. This variegated form has leaves that are a medium green with bright yellow stripes throughout the leaves (not just on the margin as with the white variegated clone). Other growth habits are the same as the species, producing clumps of long, upright narrow leaves that reach 4 feet tall and flowers that rise above the foliage on erect slender stems and having outer white petals with a golden area near the base and the inner petals are white flecked with brown at the base. The inner most petal-like structures, called style branches are violet colored. Flowers year round in coastal southern California gardens with individual flower lasting only a few days and are quickly followed by new flowers. Flushes of flowers appear on roughly a two-week cycle which has given this plant its common name of fortnight lily.

This plant is very drought tolerant in shade but can also be grown in full sun with regular to occasional irrigation. Seems to bloom best with regular watering. A good container plant or used in mass plantings or as a solitary accent clump. Hardy to 15 degrees F. This is really a stunning plant - looking more like a big Dianella or a narrow-leafed New Zealand Flax (Phormium) than a Dietes. We were able to purchase our stock plants from Diana Mead of West Covina Wholesale Nursery in January 2008 and later learned that this may be the same as a plant discovered by Jose Centeno of Centeno's nursery in Torrance, who found a yellow variegated Dietes growing in his own garden in 2000 and was calling the plant 'Centeno's Gold'. For more information on the species, see our listing for Dietes grandiflora. We have grown this nice cultivar since 2010 and also grow two other variegated Dietes grandiflora cultivars, Dietes grandiflora 'Variegata' and 'Gray Ghost'

The information displayed on this page about Dietes grandiflora 'Sunstripe' 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.

 
We closed for regular business at the end of 2025 in order for the property to be developed for affordable housing.
Our gates remain closed but we will open them by appointment to interested parties through August 21st to liquidate remaining plants, supplies and equipment.
The plants remaining in the field are listed on our
Live Inventory Page.