20,000 Fresh Blooms Each Day 
I T was the privilege of everyone who visited our 
gardens last season to see this glorious display 
of the barbaric Tiger Flower. Those who have 
grown Tigridias can imagine what a breath-taking 
sight a field of twenty thousand silken blooms 
would be; but to those who have yet to enjoy the 
exotic loveliness of this “Garden Gypsy”, we urge 
you to plan at least a small planting this Spring. 
The curious shape of the flowers and their bright, 
barbaric colors make them distinctive and out¬ 
standing, and if planted in large groups the effects 
are startling indeed. 
• What are Tigridias? 
Plainly speaking, Tigridias are distant cousins of 
the Iris family, and strangely little known to many 
gardeners. This beautiful flower stands alone among 
summer flowering bulbous plants for the brilliance 
of its wonderfully formed blossoms, which in our 
improved varieties measure as much as seven inches 
in diameter on 30 to 40-inch stems, under favorable 
conditions. 
The three large outer petals are richly colored in 
various shades of scarlet, rose, yellow, orange and 
white, while the three smaller petals are heavily 
spotted with crimson. A few immaculata varieties, 
which are as yet rare, have pure, spotless cups of 
contrasting color to the petals, and are equally, if 
not more beautiful than the spotted varieties. 
The individual flowers are short lived, but they 
continue to come, day after day, under favorable con¬ 
ditions, until autumn frosts kill the buds. A bed of 
mature bulbs in our gardens last season produced 
a succession of blossoms over a period of 98 days. 
Many of these bulbs sent forth 30 to 40 giant flowers 
during that time. Bright days or dark, good days 
or bad, Tigridia sends forth its silken triangles, fresh 
and clean each day of the summer, to grace the 
garden at times when color is most needed in those 
“wide open spaces.” 
• Can I Grow Tigridias in My Garden? 
Most certainly you can. Tigridias can be grown in 
any section of the United States and Mexico, and in 
the southern provinces of Canada. Any good garden 
soil with a reasonable amount of humus will pro¬ 
duce excellent plants. They need plenty of moisture 
until after flowering. Bulbs are planted three to 
five inches deep, after the soil becomes warm. The 
planting time varies in different sections of the 
country. 
• Do They Have any Diseases or Pests? 
After many years of work with this bulb, we have 
yet to discover any disease. Sometimes mistaken for 
disease is the rot that occurs in storage of the bulbs. 
Plant pathologists have informed us this rot is sim¬ 
ilar to Gladiolus dry rot. In almost all cases bulbs 
infected with dry rot are lost, and time and effort 
in planting is wasted. Some may sprout, but usually 
struggle along and fail to bloom. 
Mild attacks of onion thrip have been noticed, but 
without any more harm than perhaps puncturing the 
buds. The usual garden pests: cut worms, slugs, 
gophers, field mice and moles must be watched for 
and destroyed. 
• Should Tigridia Bulbs “Run Out”? 
No. If cared for correctly, bulbs should grow and 
increase each year. Moisture MUST be present at 
all times during blooming season. Bone meal may be 
used as a fertilizer, but must not come in direct 
contact with the bulb. Weak liquid manure applied 
during the blooming season helps to produce larger 
blossoms. If seed pods are removed after flower¬ 
ing, the season of bloom will be prolonged, and bulbs 
will be benefitted considerably. 
• Why Don’t My Tigridias Come Up? 
Here is a question asked most frequently by vis¬ 
itors to our gardens. There may be several reasons 
for failure to sprout. Gophers or mice sometimes 
steal the bulbs, traveling as they do in the mole 
runs. But the real reason is likely to be: inferior 
bulbs. The particular gardener should be very care¬ 
ful to select fresh, plump bulbs that have been care¬ 
fully handled during dormancy. 
• Do I HAVE to Dig My Bulbs Each Year? 
In mild sections, some gardeners leave bulbs in 
the ground all winter, covering with a suitable mulch. 
This method, however, is not recommended, due to 
the ravages of cutworms, mice, gophers, slugs, etc., 
which are almost always present in mulched areas. 
To be on the safe side, bulbs should be dug in the 
fall, carefully stored, and divided just before plant¬ 
ing the following spring. 
• How Will / Know a Good Bulb 
When / See One? 
A bulb to produce bloom the first season, should 
be at least an inch in diameter; firm, fresh, plump, 
and containing a reasonable amount of moisture. 
Dried, shriveled bulbs will NOT give satisfactory re¬ 
sults, and often fail to sprout. The base of the bulb 
should NOT be broken or injured in any way. It 
should be a “natural division,” with evidence of last 
season’s roots still upon it. No breakoffs should be 
accepted. If good, fresh bulbs are planted, the 
chances of success are multiplied, and a longer 
blooming season with larger flowers will be enjoyed. 
