We are delighted to announce that the University of Exeter has a new Plant Heritage National Collection of Dierama! This is in addition to our existing Plant Heritage National Collection of Azara. Plant Heritage is a horticultural conservation and research charity and we are united in the conservation of rare and unusual cultivated plants in the UK.
We are fortunate to have been gifted the national collection of species Dierama from Diane Rowe who has been caring for the collection for many years.
The Grounds team are in the process of preparing the raised beds on the Sir Steve Smith Building terrace in order to plant them there. This has involved improving the drainage in the beds, to ensure they dry out in winter and replacing the irrigation, to ensure they are kept wet enough in winter. A lot of the older planting has been removed from the terrace, to make space for this collection; most of the plants have been used elsewhere around the campus or taken back to the Grounds nursery for propagation or further use.
The collection will be planted in spring 2025 but may take a couple of years to flower fully, we will hopefully get a few flowers this summer at least.
Dierama is a genus of beautiful plants that are native to Africa, mainly in the southern regions of the continent. The name ‘dierama’ means funnel.
Common names for this genus include Grasklokkies in Afrikaans, or Angel’s Fishing Rod, Fairybells, Hairbells and Wandflower in English.
They are evergreen perennial herbaceous plants with long grass-like leaves that grow from corms underground; corms are an underground storage organ.
The flowers are borne on long slender stems that usually come up above the leaves, are usually bell-shaped and hang downwards. The colours can be white, pink, red or purple sometimes with spotted markings. They are used in gardens as ornamental plants, most commonly Dierama pulcherrimum. Their flowering season is from mid May to August but mainly flowering in July.
There have been issues in the past with identification, with plants now sold under probably incorrect names. Some of this confusion is due to the natural variations found within the species. Some have easily identifiable characteristics such as D. grandiflorum which is easily recognised by a twist at the end of the bright pink tepas, a short blue perianth and often being the first to flower. They usually grow in species specific colonies so knowing where the seed has originated from can be a useful tool in identification.
They require water during the growing season but drier condition throughout the winter. They tend to be evergreen, so shouldn’t be allowed to completely dry out in winter. They can be propagated by division of corms, seed and micropropagation.
If you would like to know more about the collection please email grounds@exeter.ac.uk