Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera

Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera, the Bugle Lily, is native to South Africa and has sword-shaped leaves and delicate, soft-apricot coloured flowers which do indeed resemble a bugle and are borne on a tall spike-like inflorescence. 

Not often encountered in British gardens, it has certain drawbacks to overcome. In warmer countries it has become invasive and developed a bad reputation. In the United Kingdom and Northern Europe however, where it is frost-tender, there is less danger of it over-running the countryside but - as always - care should be taken to ensure it doesn't find its way beyond the walls of your garden, particularly in warmer southwestern locations. As climate change becomes more obvious to all, it pays to garden responsibly. Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera needs to be started in pots under glass and then planted out after the frosts. In warmer urban or coastal locations it may survive the winter with a good mulch. A covering of grit or sand is often better than leaves or straw which tend to trap water. In all cases it should have a gritty sandy soil to assist drainage. Another reason it has been often over-looked is because its flower is rather subtle and borne somewhat sparsely on the flower-spike. There are many far more showy and ostentatious flowers or cultivar introductions and the humble Watsonia has been largely ignored for horticultural 'improvement'. With so many large blooms clammering for attention, the delicate understated charms of the Watsonia are easily overshadowed. However, when planted with a more restrained palette of colours or in a garden predominently of foliage plants the gem-like quality of its flowers becomes apparent.

Like so many bulbs, the addition of a generous amount of sharp sand or grit when planting ensures the corms won't rot. At the end of each growing season the primary corm is usually subsumed and further corms form around it. Small cormlets are also formed in the axils of the inflorescence. 

Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera is a plant that deserves to be more widely grown in the UK if care is taken to ensure it doesn't 'escape'. No more difficult than Dahlias or gladioli they are considerably more subtle.