PlantFiles: Stalked Bulbine
Bulbine frutescens

Easy grower. Grows in South Africa and used by traditional healers as a face beautifier and for cracked lips in winter. My own experience: It is an excelent treatment for the following... Insect bites and stings (bees and mosquitos), sunburn, bleeding stopper, skin rasches, and a lady with facial skin cancer can testify that her cancer has gone since using the sap on her face. I saw it and she retained no marks afterwards. I have had it in my garden for 3 years, and will keep it as long as I live. If you mix the sap with Aquous cream, you can take it with you on holiday.

This beauty did so well in the Phoenix area until the dead of summer when it just cooked. It almost made it through the sumemr but it was just too hot in the full sun all day. I just bought another and will place him in partial shade to try again. I hope it works as this was one of my favorites.

The other cool thing is that this plant can work in a variety of landscapes.

Grows well here in N. Florida (8b-9a) and readily available in garden centers, flea markets, farmers markets, etc. None I've seen flower as heavily as in some of the attached photos, however, and they tend to get a bit "leggy" looking in these parts at times. May be a function of the higher humidity and rainfall we experience than Texas and other areas where it appears to be quite popular.

this is a great low-maintenance plant. I have mine potted have not had opportunity to divide as of this posting.

Atlanta - about three years ago, I bought two of these. Planted one and kept the other in a container. The planted one did not make it over the winter and the container one was over wintered the garage. It is now very big and needing repotting. Lovely plant but I think Atlanta was too cold for it to live outside.

Great little plant, very easy to grow. To propagate, simply break off "plantlets" (sections of the plant made up of three to six green "leaves" ~ look at the closeup pic I posted and it'll be obvious what I'm talking about) and pot them up in free draining soil just to the crown (right below where the "leaves" start turning green). Keep them watered after they dry out.

I have both orange/yellow flowered form and the yellow flowered form. Both are easily propagated this way.

I love this plant! It is easy to grow, needs virtually no care, makes new plants readily and blooms for months.

I grow this in my container garden and every few months my husband will divide it into several new containers with each filling to the pot's capacity within 3-4 months.

I grow it in dappled shade and water lightly every 3-4 days in the heat of the summer.

San Antonio, TX
A native of South Africa, the bulbine is commonly called burn jelly plant because the sap in the leaves is used for healing burns,cuts, stings and rashes in the same way an aloe vera is used. Pest and disease free, quite drought resistent (withstanding several weeks without supplemental water if necessary), long bloom time (almost all year), blooms do not fade for a long period, requiring little fertilizer, fast growth, easily propagated, not fussy about soil (except it must be well drained), evergreen (withstood 19 degree weather), likes the heat and showy - what more could one ask for! I am delighted with this plant which should be utilized more.

Tips:
Do not over water, especially in fall and winter.
Give enough room to spread.
Deadhead blooms as they fully dry to encourage new blooms.
Do not over fertilize.
If you have a sunny spot where nothing grows, plant itthere.
"Hallmark" (orange) is more compact than the yellow variety
whose flower spikes tend to fall over in the wind. I like Hallmark best because it is "more tidy".
Be sure to plant deep enough - the dirt should be almost even with the base of the leaves - otherwise the plant will topple over from its own weight. Also, this encourages rooting and spreading of the plant.

I bought this plant about 3 months ago. It is in the full sun in a pot it has now overgrown. It has turned about to be one of the most beautiful sights in my garden. It is mid-summer now and it is blooming profusely. The blooms seem to stretch out towards the sun....like a sunflower does!
An easy, water-wise plants with great results.
Love it and recommend it.