Tiger Flower, Mexican Shell Flower
Tigridia pavonia
| Family: | Iridaceae (eye-rid-AY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Tigridia (ty-GRID-dee-uh) (Info) |
| Species: | pavonia (pav-ON-ee-uh) (Info) |
| Synonym: | Moraea pavonia |
| Synonym: | Ferraria pavonia |
| Synonym: | Tigridia oxypetala |
Category:
Bulbs
Perennials
Foliage Color:
Bloom Characteristics:
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Where to Grow:
Grow outdoors year-round
Suitable for growing in containers
Height:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Spacing:
3-6 in. (7-15 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade
Danger:
N/A
Bloom Color:
Pink
Magenta (Pink-Purple)
Red
Orange
Gold (Yellow-Orange)
Bright Yellow
Purple
Maroon (Purple-Brown)
White/Near White
Cream/Tan
Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Foliage:
Veined
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
Regional
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
Alameda, California
Canyon Country, California
Dixon, California
Eureka, California
Fremont, California
Huntington Beach, California
Inyokern, California
La Jolla, California
Marysville, California
Sacramento, California
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Sebastopol, California
Vista, California
Trenton, Florida
Carrollton, Georgia
Jonesboro, Georgia
Mountain View, Hawaii
Olathe, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Lebanon, Maine
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Melrose, Massachusetts
Owosso, Michigan
Lincoln, Nebraska
Waverly, Nebraska
Brigantine, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Yonkers, New York
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Sanford, North Carolina
Madison, Ohio
New Milford, Pennsylvania
Fair Play, South Carolina
Greer, South Carolina
Moore, South Carolina
Cleveland, Tennessee (2 reports)
Knoxville, Tennessee
Mc Donald, Tennessee
Austin, Texas
Fate, Texas
Houston, Texas
Marion, Texas
Mc Kinney, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Willis, Texas
Aberdeen, Washington
Everett, Washington
Graham, Washington
Kalama, Washington
Lakewood, Washington
Port Townsend, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Walla Walla, Washington
Black Earth, Wisconsin
West Bend, Wisconsin
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Aug 5, 2017, Frannyflower from Scotland, I live in Scotland and have these beautiful red and yellow Tigridia flowers. First year it was just foliage, second year about 6 flowers but this 3rd year I have had lots and lots of each colour. Sadly they only last for a day but are really exquisite to see! Beautiful to wake up to these lovely blooms! All my friends are amazed by them. Where I stay the climate is ideal for them. Some people think Scotland is always cold but we live in the south west. Recommend these flowers! |
| Neutral | On Sep 9, 2016, coriaceous from ROSLINDALE, MA wrote: Native to Mexico, which gets lots of rain in summer but is dry the rest of the year. |
| Positive | On Feb 26, 2015, billyvanbakker from Yonkers, NY wrote: Zone7a....NY. Grows like a weed for me. Truly hardy pere |
| Positive | On Jul 16, 2014, Alexander_R from Santa Clarita, CA (Zone 9b) wrote: Very beautiful. Rarely seen in person, yet pest free and easy to grow. Started blooming for me in early June after only nine weeks from planting. Each plant will produce 2-3 flowers over a period of a few weeks, and each flower lasts only about 10 hours. Interesting palm-like foliage is attractive even when not in bloom. Slim airy plants can be spaced and inch and a half apart. I got mine from Brent and Becky's bulbs. |
| Positive | On Aug 5, 2012, harrryr from Shoreline, WA wrote: I live in Seattle Washington and planted my tigridia about three years ago. The first couple of years it had a few blooms that were tri-petal cream color. This year it has multiple blooms that are are six petal, 3 yellow and 3 orange with yellow accents. The flower lasts one day so it must be tigridia, it seems unusual. I will have about a month of blooms when all the pods have been expended. It is a real conversation piece for my yard. |
| Positive | On Jul 14, 2012, eukofios from Vancouver, WA (Zone 8b) wrote: I bought these in a packet of bulbs at a big box store. I didn't know what to do with them so stuck the little bulbs in the soil of planters around the deck, which contained other plants. Today I was surprised with Trigridia blossoms. They are quite beautiful. The duration of one day is not an issue for me - they are exotic and something to look forward to. They look more beautiful in person than in a photo. Thanks to the other people who have posted here, I'll know what to do with them this fall, for flowers next year! |
| Neutral | On Sep 3, 2010, BillandJan from New Milford, PA wrote: They are beautiful and very easy to grow. I bought mine on sale at a Christmas Tree Store for almost nothing at the closeout. |
| Positive | On Aug 13, 2008, Tigerlilylou from Monaghan, My favourite plant ever!! I first planted 20 of these bulbs last April (2007) & only got 3 blooms- but what blooms!! Im actually devastated by looking at the photographs- I didnt think anybody would have blooms as beautiful as mine!! I had them in pots last summer & forgot about them all winter- they were outside with little or no shelter & Ireland can be very frosty. I planted the bulbs to the ground in April this year & have just photographed my 4th bloom, with 5 more on the way so far. Its such a pity they only last 1 day, but its a great excuse out to the garden in the mornings before work! |
| Positive | On Jul 8, 2008, Palonias from Brigantine, NJ wrote: I live in Brigantine, NJ next to Atlantic City - (on the bay). My tigridia get full sun but is mixed well with acidanthera and glads, as well as heliopsis, ice plants, well the list goes on. I mulch very well, four times a year, but it comes back every year so far and it is going on its fourth year. |
| Positive | On Aug 30, 2006, mojavegardener from Inyokern, CA (Zone 8a) wrote: Bloomed a lot later than I expected. Soil here in the Mojave is very, very sandy, so all bulbs do well with plenty of water, as it drains away quickly. A beautiful late summer surprise. As this is the first year I've planted them, I have a feeling they will come up sooner next year. |
| Neutral | On Jul 30, 2006, Bartramsgarden from Trenton, FL wrote: I have successfully grown this plant here in my zone 8b garden in North Florida for one season. I am planning to lift the bulbs and bring them inside for the winter in order to avoid exposing them to too much moisture while they are dormant. |
| Positive | On May 1, 2006, JeanneTX from Willis, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: I have enjoyed this flower so much..it is planted in full sun and had been popping up all over my garden..beautiful foliage as well...it's true..the bloom only lasts one day....Jeanne |
| Neutral | On May 1, 2006, suelfrancis from San Antonio, TX wrote: I planted bulbs of these plants approximately 6 weeks ago, at about 4 inches deep in containers. The bulbs have not produced any shoots as of yet. This is unusual for me with bulbs. Is this normal? How long do these usually take to produce sprouts? |
| Neutral | On Oct 10, 2005, GrnXnham from Graham, WA (Zone 8a) wrote: Planted in April. Bloomed in Sep-Oct. Beautiful flowers but only bloomed for a day. |
| Positive | On Oct 7, 2005, MN_Darren from Saint Paul, MN wrote: We have been growing these in Minnesota for many years. They are not hardy, but the bulbs are easily lifted by just yanking the whole plant by the leaves in October, then we clean them, snip off the stems, let them dry, and them place them in trays filled with peat moss for the winter, and store that in the basement in a cool, dark place. We always store them "ready to go" so that the tray just needs to be watered and fed in late winter to get them started. They have been increasing in numbers, and we haven't had to buy any since the first time we got them. Super easy... Just be sure to start watering the tray at the beginning of March. They take several months to show leaves above the soil, so it doesn't matter much if you don't have that tray in a bright location until April, when ... read more |
| Neutral | On Aug 21, 2005, spaceman_spiff from Saint Petersburg, FL (Zone 9b) wrote: I wonder if this plant will grow in Florida, or whether it's too moist here? |
| Positive | On Aug 18, 2005, fluffygrue from Manchester, Very stunning and easy to grow - I've largely ignored these and they've bloomed spectacularly. Would be interested to test their frost-hardiness.. The foliage is surprisingly nice, too. Doesn't need staking here. |
| Positive | On Feb 6, 2005, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: I have 3 areas in which I have these. In one area, they are in containers of them. I had purchased them as bulbs (no growth on them). I have no clue as to why they have not bloomed. Can anyone assist me with directions as to what I need to do to encourage bloom formation? I think I had read that they take 3 or 4 years to become bloom producing size. thought that maybe they are not receiving enough sunlight. They have been cold hardy here with the lowest temperature in the past 3 years being about 25 degrees or so. |
| Positive | On Jun 24, 2002, Lophophora from Tokyo, Actually much hardier than thought. Mine have survived to -4 degrees C. with 2-4 cm. frost heaving with no adverse effects. I once saw this species blooming wild in the Chiapas highlands - and boy! was it cold that morning!! IMHO it's autumn and winter moisture that kills this plant in northern climes - not temperature. |
| Neutral | On Jun 23, 2002, Azalea from Jonesboro, GA (Zone 7b) wrote: Very pretty 2-3" blossoms, but they only last one day. They come in many different colors and are not cold hardy north of zone 7 so corms must be lifted in the fall. Plants have bloom spikes of about 18"-24". I was disappointed in that they probably should be staked. The straight sword like leaves are similar to gladiolus. Another name is Shell Flower - they are native to Mexico |
| Neutral | On Jul 21, 2001, kat7 from Bloomingdale, NJ (Zone 6a) wrote: exotic member of the iris family with sword-like foliage and stunning 4" blooms of red, pink, and white with chocolate speckled throat. Easily grown from seed and best planted for the summer in well drained soil, either in a sheltered position or permanently in a large container. Prefers full sun. Hardy only in frost free climates. Lift in autumn and store in dry,cool and frost free place. replant in spring. |
