Blandfordia grandiflora is naturally found in swampy areas from the coast of Sydney up to Brisbane. It’s commonly known as Christmas Bells because it tends to flower around Christmas time (November to March), although has been known to occasionally flower at other times of the year. The plant is in the family Blandfordiaceae.The leaves are about 70cm long and strap-like. The flowers are bell-shaped with yellow tips, and can range from being red to entirely yellow in colour. The flowers reach above the foliage on stalks that are usually about 80cm high, but can sometimes be up to 175cm tall. The inflorescence (group of flowers) can be 2 to 20 flowered, but is usually about 4 flowered. The flowers are large and can be picked and kept as cut flowers for up to week. Additionally, the flowers can sometimes attract native birds to your garden, and the seed heads are not unappealing.
Christmas Bells Care
Blandfordia Grandiflora
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Humidity
High
Lighting
Part Sun
Difficulty
Medium
Hibernation
Cold Period
How to Care for the Plant
Water
Water is very important, especially in early spring as this is when the flower spike starts developing, and it is often very dry at this time. Plants in the ground need to be watered every second day in spring, and may need to be watered more often once the flower spike appears if it is very hot. Water potted plants more frequently than plants in the ground and do not allow them to dry out except in winter.
Fertilizer
The best fertiliser to use is a low phosphorus, 8-9 month slow release product applied at the rate of about a teaspoon per plant in late summer and about the same amount of potash in early spring.
Sunlight
Christmas bells can be grown in full sun to partial shade. Some shade in the hottest part of the day is best. Frost is not a problem.
Soil
Christmas bells can be grown in the ground provided the soil is well drained. A fairly thick mulch of tea tree or pine bark is necessary to keep the roots cool and to keep the weeds down.
Container
Christmas bells need to be grown in a deep pot as they have roots that pull the plants down into the pot and they can very quickly become root bound. The pot needs to be about 30 cm deep and even then, the plants will need to be repotted every couple of years.
Popularity
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