Wand flower: Description, planting and growing tips

                                                   Wand Flower/ Ixia Mix

Wand flower is the shades of pink, yellow and white tall spikes of star like blooms. Perfect for any hot, sunny spot in the garden, Wand Flower is best suited for warmer climates and blooms in late spring. Wand flower is also known as Ixia Mix, cornflower or African corn lily plant thrives in the hottest, sunniest area of a garden. It prefers well drained soil and warmer climates free from frost. Overall Ixia is simple and easy to grow.
Best advantage of wand flower is, it attracts butterflies.

Botanical Name: Ixia Mix

Flower Color: Pink, Red, Yellow

Mature Plant Size: 12-16" tall

Bloom Time: Late spring

Light Requirements :Full Sun, Half Sun / Half Shade

Tempareture: -10°C to 5°C

Soil Type: Sandy Soil, Loamy Soil, Drought/Dry Soil

Planting Depth: Plant 2-5" deep


Planting bulbs and care:

• Choose a spot which is sunny and that has nicely well-draining soil. 
• Planting ixia bulbs is fairly simple. Bulbs look much like a small onion, with wiry roots growing out of one site and a spike on the other. Plant with the roots pointing down and the spike pointing up. 
• Follow the rule of thumb when planting bulbs and give the bulbs at least 2 times their height of soil above them. Dig a 3-4 inch deep hole, drop the bulb into it and cover with soil. 
• Regarding the spacing between bulbs, if planting in beds, leave approx 3 inches between each cluster of bulb. If you are planting in containers, you can space them a little closer together. 
• After planting, water well so that the soil above the bulbs settles. 
• Ixia bulbs will begin to flower in the late Spring. After the flowers die down, the plant can enjoy a warmer rest period. You don't have to water too much during this rest period. Leaves will also die back and at this point, you can choose to tidy up the plant and remove the old leaves or just let nature take its own course. 
• Sometimes, you will find Ixias are offered for spring planting in order to flower in the summer. These are ixia corms which has been stored through winter to prevent them growing. For the first flowering season after planting they will grow in summer, but after that they will try to revert to their normal autumn/winter growing habit unless they are dug up at the end of that first season and dried off again for the winter. On the whole this is not very satisfactory and it is probably best to regard them as summer bedding for one season only, then discard them.