Grow bulbine in full sun and soil that drains, and skip extra water once it is established. Stalked bulbine is the shop name for Bulbine frutescens — not a true bulb, and not aloe.
Give it full sun and soil that drains, and skip extra water once it is established
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Full sun; light part sun still blooms | Do not site it in deep shade if you want a full set of stalks |
| Water | Water until the roots hold, then skip extra water except in a long dry spell | Do not keep the soil wet, and do not leave a soggy crown in winter |
| Soil | Sandy, rocky, or average soil that drains after rain | Do not plant it in heavy, wet clay |
| Frost | A mild winter about 20°F; grow it in a pot you can move if nights go colder | Do not leave a wet clump in a hard freeze |
| Drought | Skip extra water once it is established | Do not water on a calendar while the soil is still wet |
Bulbine is a South African succulent with fleshy, almost grassy leaves and star-shaped yellow or orange flowers on leafless stalks. Give it an open, sunny spot and soil that dries between waterings, because soggy soil around the roots is the primary cause of root rot. [1] Once the plant is established, skip extra water except in a long dry spell. [2] stalked bulbine is Bulbine frutescens, the spreading groundcover in this catalog. Snap off spent flower stalks if you want more bloom; the plant still flowers if you leave them.
- Set it in full sun, or in light part sun where afternoons are harsh.
- Water until the roots hold, then wait until the soil is dry before you water again.
- Grow it in a pot with a hole if a hard freeze will reach the bed, and bring it in when nights drop near 20°F. [3]
- Snap spent stalks at the base if you want a tidier clump and more flowers.
Where does Bulbine grow best?
Full sun and soil that drains. Light part sun still blooms. Deep shade thins the stalks.
How do I care for a Bulbine plant?
Water until it is established, then skip extra water except in a long dry spell. Snap spent stalks if you want more bloom.
Can Bulbine grow in shade?
Light part sun is fine. Deep shade is a poor home if you want a full set of flower stalks.
Will Bulbine survive a freeze?
Foliage burns near 20°F. In a colder winter, grow it in a pot you can move, or treat it as a warm-season plant and start a new clump after frost.
Plant it after frost, in soil that drains
Knock the plant from its nursery pot and set it no deeper than it was already growing. Fill around it with soil that drains — sandy or rocky ground, or garden soil cut with grit. A mature clump can spread three to four feet, so leave that room.
- Wait until frost has passed, or plant in a pot you can move.
- Dig a hole as deep as the nursery root ball, in soil that drains.
- Set the crown at the same depth as the nursery pot. Water once to settle the soil, then wait until it is dry before you water again.
- Leave about two to four feet between plants if you want a groundcover that knits together.
How do I plant it?
Plant after frost, in soil that drains, at the same depth as the nursery pot. Water once to settle, then wait until the soil is dry.
Divide a crowded clump, or root a stem
The usual way to make more bulbine is to split a crowded clump, or to root a stem. Divide when the center thins or the clump outgrows its spot, in late winter or early spring, or at any mild season. A firm stem also roots if you plant it in mix that drains.
- Lift a crowded clump and tease it into pieces that each have leaves and roots. Replant at the same depth, in soil that drains, and water once to settle.
- For a stem cutting, take a firm piece in spring, pull the lowest leaves, and push the bare end into barely moist mix that drains. [4]
- Keep the cutting in bright light, and do not leave the mix standing wet, until a gentle tug meets resistance. Then water as you would the parent plant.
How do I divide it or take a cutting?
Lift a crowded clump and replant pieces with roots, or push a firm spring stem into mix that drains. Wait until it resists a tug before you water as usual.
Not aloe — and not a red hot poker or Bulbinella
Aloe is a thicker, often toothed rosette grown for windowsill gel. Bulbine has narrower, almost grassy succulent leaves and a fuzz of stamens in the center of each star. Buy it for the flower stalks and the dry groundcover. See How to Grow Aloe if that is the plant you bought.
Red hot poker is Kniphofia, a hardy clump with dense torch spikes and grassy, not succulent, leaves. It wants a different winter and a wetter summer than this groundcover. See How to Grow Red Hot Poker.
Bulbinella looks close in a small photo, but its stamens are smooth, not bearded, and the leaves are grassy rather than succulent. The Latin Bulbine sounds like a bulb, and it is not one. A shop name jelly plant is also easy to mix with jelly bean plant, which is a small Sedum. See How to Grow Sedum if the leaves are plump beads, not grassy succulent blades.
Is this aloe?
No. Aloe is a thicker toothed rosette. Bulbine has narrower succulent leaves and fluffy stamens in each star.
What is the difference between Bulbinella and Bulbine?
Bulbine has succulent leaves and bearded stamens. Bulbinella has grassy leaves and smooth stamens, and it is not this groundcover.
Set the next clump in full sun and soil that drains, and root extras from a stem or a divided piece.
FAQ
What is bulbine good for?
It is a drought groundcover with yellow or orange flower stalks. The leaf gel is sometimes used on minor burns the way aloe is used. Do not copy a first-aid method from a care guide.
Is bulbine an invasive plant?
It spreads by rooting stems into a clump a few feet across. That is a groundcover, not a wild takeover in most U.S. gardens. Pull extras if the clump walks into a neighbor.
Is bulbine a perennial or an annual?
It is a tender perennial. Where winters stay near 20°F, the clump holds. Colder than that, grow it in a pot you can move, or start a new plant after frost.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. Use a pot with a hole and mix that drains. A pot is the usual way to bring it in before a freeze.
Can I start it from seed?
Yellow plants may drop seed. The orange Hallmark form is usually sterile, so divide a clump or root a stem instead.
Are the leaves toxic to pets?
There is no common listing that matches aloe's warning. Aloe is a different, toxic lookalike. Still keep pets from chewing succulents, because a chewed leaf can upset a stomach.
Is Hallmark a different kind of care?
No. Orange Hallmark and the yellow form use the same sun, drain, and watering. Hallmark does not usually reseed.
Is natalensis or bulbine lily the same plant?
No. Broad-leaf natalensis and the Australian bulbine lily are other species. This card is the grassy succulent groundcover, Bulbine frutescens.
Recommended plants
References
- [1] UC ANR Fresno Gardening Green -
https://ucanr.edu/blog/fresno-gardening-green/article/april-plant-month-stalked-bulbine - [2] UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions -
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/bulbine.html - [3] University of Arkansas Extension -
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/bulbine-stalked-11-7-08.aspx - [4] PlantZAfrica -
https://pza.sanbi.org/bulbine-frutescens
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors