Albuca shawii

Plant type

perennial, bulb / corm / tuber

size

H: 12"-24"
W: 6"-12"

planting zones

8a-12

More Options

Albuca shawii plant details

Albuca shawii is a broadleaf deciduous perennial bulb / corm / tuber with green foliage. In spring and summer yellow flowers emerge. Features grassy texture. Attracts bees making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - mostly sun and regular - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Prefers to be dry when dormant. Does well in average, gritty, lean and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something verticillium wilt resistant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Albuca shawii

Plant type: perennial bulb / corm / tuber
Plant family: asparagaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 6 IN - 12 IN - wide, 12 IN - 24 IN - tall
Flowers: yellow blooms in spring and summer
Uses: fragrant

GROWING CONDITIONS for Albuca shawii

USDA Zones: 8a - 12
Sun exposure: sun - mostly sun
Watering frequency: regular - low
Resistant to: verticillium wilt
Soil needs: average, gritty, lean and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Sweet little bulbous perennial for the rock garden or other well drained part of the garden…clumps of fine green grassy foliage 12” tall and wide are topped with tiny fragrant yellow bells that waft a sweet almond-citrus scent. This South African sweetheart likes sun and summer water. Great for pots and troughs too! USDA Zone 7 3" pot

By: Secret Garden Growers

Fragrant of anise-seed, half-inch, deep yellow, oblong bells dangle amongst spring-green stems and leaves in September to February. Easy and very interesting in a container. From South Africa. 12 - 18" tall clump. Minimum temperature: 10°F

By: Dancing Oaks Nursery

A rare and lovely bulbous thing from the Drakensburg, with succulean leaves that exude a sweet scent when stroked, (I know it seems kinky) and bright yellow flowers with green stripes and an almond scent.

By: Arrowhead Alpines

Unusual South African bulb, from the Drakensberg mountains, that grows in the summer and goes dormant for the winter. Foliage is grassy and aromatic, smelling of anise when rubbed, and topped in summer by 2 ft stems of dangling yellow flowers, each sepal with a broad green stripe. The flowers are aromatic as well, smelling like pineapple or perhaps almonds -- something sweet and attractive. Best in sun and well-drained, perhaps rocky soil with summer water. Frost hardy to 0F, USDA zone 7. Easily kept in containers and moved to dry spaces in winter.

By: Cistus Nursery

I love this bulb! It is so pretty! Blooming in summer with racemes of nodding yellow lantern-like flowers with green stripes down the petals. Supposedly the flowers smell like pineapple. The wispy foliage is fragrant too. It smells like anise when crushed. Native to the wet summer areas of South Africa, it grows in summer & is dormant in winter. Worth trying in a well-drained irrigated garden or grown in a pot that could be put away in the winter. Grows to 18” tall & is hardy to 0 °F.