Cape Flower is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. It is a herbaceous bulbous perennial, growing to 2 foot with strap-shaped leaves and large umbels of lily-like pink flowers in the fall when almost nothing else is in bloom. These spidery pink flowers can make quite a statement if planted in a tight clump as a colorful end to the growing season. It is drought tolerant but requires moisture during the growing season. These plants are great for use in beds, cutting gardens, rock gardens, and planted along borders. They can also be grown as container plants or planted near a patio to enjoy the color in the last warm days of fall. If you plant them in a container, use a rich, well-drained growing medium, and set the bulbs with the neck well above the soil level so only about half the bulb is buried, approximately 8 in deep to the base. Place the bulbs 12 in. apart, one per sq ft. Water freely when the plants have foliage but do not water when the bulbs are dormant. Grows best in full sunlight to PM only sunlight. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: More information on Nerine .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheChrysanthemum x morifoliumEchinacea purpurea PowWow® Wild Berry 'PAS702917'Lilium – Asiatic hybrids
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Bulb; Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial
Life cycle
Bulb; Perennial
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 2 in. - 1 ft. 8 in. | Width: 0 ft. 1 in. - 0 ft. 3 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
It has 6–8 arching, light green, strap-shaped leaves, produced in two opposite rows.
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Trumpet
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Large umbrels of 5-10 trumpet-shaped pink flowers up to 3 inches across. Blooms in the fall from September to November.
Bloom time
Fall
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Sturdy erect green stems, make for excellent cut flowers as they remain upright in containers.