How to Grow Fairy Wand (Dierama)

Fairy wand adds a graceful touch to the garden. Pink summer flowers dangle from tall, arching stems. Leaves are sword-shaped, and the plant grows in clumps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bypass Pruners
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Flower Bulbs
• Mulch
• Plants
• Plants

Choosing Fairy Wand

1. Buy fairy wand plants year-round, usually in gallon-sized containers at nurseries.

2. Look for fairy wand corms (similar to bulbs) sold singly or in bags when summer bulbs are sold in spring.

Planting Fairy Wand

3. Plant the corms - which look like flattened daffodil bulbs - in the spring, 3 to 5 inches deep in full sun in soil that is constantly moist, but not soggy.

4. Dig one large hole for several plants from containers, or plant in individual holes.

5. Add a light application of organic fertilizer to the planting hole.

6. Set the plants no deeper than they were growing in the container, and plant 3 feet apart.

7. Mulch around but not on top of the plants with 3 inches of organic compost.

Caring for Fairy Wand

8. Cut the flowering stems as far back into the leaves as you can reach when the plant is finished blooming.

9. Cut back foliage in early spring to make way for new growth.

10. Apply a light application of dry organic fertilizer to the top of the soil in the spring; follow directions on the package.