Forest Lily Seeds — Veltheimia bracteata

A Rare and Elegant Shade Lover — Spectacular Tubular Pink Blooms on Bold Architectural Stems

Veltheimia bracteata, the Forest Lily, is one of the most beautiful and underrated bulbous plants you can grow — a striking South African native that thrives in shade and produces spectacular, architectural flower spikes of pendulous tubular pink blooms in late winter to spring, when little else is in flower. The bold, glossy, strap-like leaves form an attractive rosette that is handsome year-round, and the tall flower stems rise to around 45cm, topped with a dense cluster of drooping tubular flowers in soft dusky pink with subtle greenish-yellow tips — elegant, unusual, and utterly captivating. Veltheimia is equally at home as a container plant indoors or in a sheltered shady garden position, and it is long-lived and reliable once established. A collector's plant and a genuine conversation piece — rare in cultivation and well worth the patience required to grow it from seed.

Why Gardeners Love It

• 🌸 Spectacular tubular pink flower spikes — dense clusters of pendulous tubular flowers in soft dusky pink with greenish-yellow tips, held on bold upright stems to 45cm; architectural and utterly distinctive
• 🌟 Flowers in late winter to spring — one of the few plants to flower in the depths of winter, bringing colour and elegance to the garden or home when little else is blooming
• 🌿 Bold, glossy strap-like foliage — attractive rosette of broad, glossy, wavy-edged leaves that are handsome year-round and provide strong architectural interest even out of flower
• 🌲 Thrives in shade — one of the best flowering bulbs for shaded positions; perfect under trees, in sheltered courtyards, or as a striking indoor or conservatory plant
• 🌿 Long-lived and reliable once established — a perennial bulb that will return and improve year after year with minimal care
• 🌝 A rare collector's plant — seldom seen in NZ gardens and guaranteed to attract attention; a genuine talking point for plant lovers and collectors

Growing Tips for New Zealand

Veltheimia bracteata is best grown from fresh seed sown as soon as possible after harvest. Sow seeds individually into small pots of well-drained seed-raising mix at a depth of around 1cm, and keep in a warm, sheltered position out of direct sun. Germination is slow and unpredictable — seeds can take anywhere from several months to up to two years to sprout, so patience is absolutely essential. Do not discard pots that appear dormant; simply keep them consistently moist and wait. Once seedlings are established, grow on in a shaded or partly shaded position with good drainage. Veltheimia prefers a dry summer rest period and should be watered sparingly over summer, resuming regular watering in autumn as growth resumes. It performs well as a container plant in NZ and can be brought indoors over winter in colder regions. Flowering is typically achieved in 3–4 years from seed.

What's in the Packet

Each packet contains 3 seeds of Forest Lily (Veltheimia bracteata), with growing instructions included.