Babiana stricta

[Hamad]

Botanical Name	Babiana stricta
Family	Iridaceae
Genus	Babiana
Specie	Stricta
Local Name in Urdu	N/A
Common Name	Baboon flower, blue freesia
Life Cycle	Perennial
Cultivar Name	N/A
Category(Bulb/Corm/Tuber/Rhizome/root)	Corm
Hardiness	Tender, to be precise Tender 3
Hardiness Zone	Zone 8 to 11
Soil PH	6.1 to 7.5
Planting Time	Fall/Autumn
Planting Depth	5inch/12.5cm
Spacing	03 to 06 inches (7.5cm to 13cm)
Height	03 to 09 Inches (7.5cm to 21.5cm)
Exposure	Full Sun
Flowering Time	Spring to Mid-Summer
Flower Color	Blue, Purple, pink, Yellow and white
Fragrant	No
Uses	Grow in pots, flowering beds, borders and used as cut flower
Propagation	By dividing the off sets and planting them separately, could also be propagated by seeds
Difficulty(Easy/Intermediate/Hard )	Easy
Suitable for (KHI/LHR/RWL/ISL/PWR/Highlands)	All Areas
Tips to grow	Require good Drainage like any other Bulbous plant and require full sun exposure, once the foliage dies in mid to late summer dig them up and store them in cool dry place or if they are in pots then bring the pots indoor for the rest of the summer. They start sprouting in Fall(Autumn) again and if you are growing them in a bit colder areas then Mulch would be helpful during the winter time.
Other Details	They are native to South Africa, Babiana is a very good option for warmer climate, they are also known as Baboon flower because African Monkeys like to dig their corms and eat them as food. Their foliage look like Gladioli and have flowers like Freesia, they flower profusely as easy and good as freesia.

[Hamad]

Photos courtesy AY Khan sb

Hamad