A great garden needs a varied cast of plants; the solid, reliable performers that change little but always offer something no matter the season, and the shooting stars that dominate for the briefest of moments before exiting stage right for another year. Into the latter category falls the foxtail lily Eremurus robustus, a herbaceous colossus. A member of the lily family (Liliaceae), it comes from the semidesert and dry grassland of the desolately beautiful Tien Shan and Pamir Mountain ranges of Central Asia. As a result, it requires three key conditions: good drainage, full sun and, in order to induce flowering, a cold snap in winter. The root system of Eremurus robustus is fascinating in itself, consisting of a central growing point, the crown, which is encircled by fleshy, finger-thick tapering roots. The overall impression is that of a cartoon of a very large starfish. The plant grows away quickly in spring, forming a rosette of bluish-green strap-shaped leaves up to 4ft high, from which the flower spike -invariably one per crown - begins to rise during late April. By late May the spike will have risen as high as 9ft high, more typically 7ft or so, topped with densely packed buds that gradually relax into flowers from the bottom upwards. Taken singly, the flowers are quite small, the petals a pale, almost peachy pink that eventually bleaches to white, with contrasting orange stamens and a yellow central boss. The overall effect is quite stunning, with hundreds of lightly scented flowers - much loved by honey bees - arrayed around the top 3ft of each spike. It is the flower spike that gives the plant its common name of foxtail lily, as it is usual for the spike to wander around rather than grow straight and true. The foxtail lily has a number of notable cousins, including the smaller, earlier flowering Eremurus Bungeii. Eremurus Robustus only flowers for four weeks or so, but for that brief period it is every bit the leading player; the long wait between flowering only adds to the anticipation. We ship Top Size bulbs! Height: 6-8 feet Bulb Size: Top Size I • Exotic Flower • Enormous Blooms
