Football Lily

This lily with its peculiar round shape is also known as powder puff or globe lily. A native of Africa, this plant grows well in all tropical places. It comes in pink and red shades. There is another in white colour known as Haemanthus virasense. The blooms are big with red/ pink spikes and yellow specks at the ends and lasts for about a week. The leaves are smooth and dark green in colour and fresh ones appear after flowering. The plant grows to a height of 12-18 inches and blooms only once a year.

Bulbs or saplings can be planted during February / March in pots filled with equal parts of sand, gravel and dried cow dung powder. Its lifecycle completes in two stages. The plant grows in the first stage till November/December. The fully grown leaves die off in winter and the bulbs remain dormant. With the help of the food stored in these bulbs, the flowers bloom in the second stage. Needs more sun while blooming. Fresh leaves start appearing after the flowering stage.

Manure made of dead leaves gives the best results. There is no need for chemical fertilizers. The dormant bulbs should be lightly watered once in a while. Plants can be propagated by scoring the base of the bulb to promote new bulb-lets and by sowing seeds. Seeds should be sown as soon as it is collected as they does not store well.