First Blooms on a Tigridia

Tigridia (Tigridia pavonia) is a flowering bulb with beautiful yellow, orange and red blooms. The three-petaled flowers, also known as tiger flowers or Mexican Shellflowers, are planted in sunny areas of residential gardens and commercial landscapes.

Planting

Tigridia bulbs are grown in late spring after the last frost. Gardeners plant the corm or bulb base 4 inches deep and 4 inches apart in well-drained, clay soil. Growers add organic mulch and 5-10-5 fertilizers around the plant's base to promote first blooms and weed control.

Watering

Tigridia plants should be watered once a week to promote healthy blooms.

Blooming

First blooms occur in the summer but last for only one day, but stalks continuously flower until early fall.

Size

Tigridia plants grow 18 to 30 inches tall with 3- to 5-inch diameter blooms.

Diseases

In the first year, Tigridia blooms are susceptible to rot and fungal diseases, which cause yellowish-black lesions and decay. Methods of treatment involve discarding infected plants and spraying fungicides.

References

• Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service; Flowering Bulbs; Michael N. Dana, Paul Pecknold and Cliff Sadof; 2001
• Michigan State University Extension; Tigridia Disease Problems; January 1998
• Michigan State University Extension; Tigridia Pavonia - Tiger Flower; November 1999
• North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension; Tigridia; Erv Evans, A. A. De Hertough
• Parker County Master Gardener Association: Bulbs, Corms and Tubers
• Plant-Care.com; Tigridia Pavona Bulbs and New Flower Colors; F. Edmunds

Resources

• National Gardening Association