Crimson Flag Lily Flowers in the Fall

Virtues: Crimson flag lily offers brilliant red flowers in the fall and textural grassy foliage that can be evergreen in the warmer parts of its hardiness range. It is related to irises.

Common name: Crimson flag lily

Botanical name:Schizostylis coccinea, synonym Hesperantha coccinea

Exposure: Full sun

Season: Late summer through fall, for flowers

Flowers: Long-stemmed spikes of multiple large, bright red flowers rise from the foliage from late summer through the fall.

Foliage: Grass-like leaves that form a low clump.

Habit: Crimson flag lily grows from a rhizome to form a mound of grassy foliage about 12 to 24 inches tall and slightly less wide.

Origins:Schizostylis coccinea, or Hesperantha coccinea, hails from wet meadows and stream banks of southern Africa.

How to grow crimson flag lily: Site in full sun in soil that never dries out completely during the growing season. This plant usually goes dormant in winter, at which time soil should be kept more dry. Where it is not winter hard. crimson flag lily can be tended as a houseplant during the coldest months, or its rhizomes can be dried and stored similar to dahlia tubers. USDA Zones 7–9.

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