How to Plant Ixia, Sparaxis, Firecrackers and Other Summer-Dry Corms

Plant these corms 3–5 inches deep in full sun and fast-draining soil, in fall where winters are mild and in spring after your last frost everywhere else. They flower in late spring or summer, then need dry soil while they rest.

When to plant
Fall in zone 5 and warmer for sky blue lilies, zone 6 and warmer for brodiaea, zone 7 and warmer for firecrackers, and zones 8–10 for ixia, sparaxis and babiana. In colder zones, plant after your last spring frost
Depth
3–5 inches, measured to the base of the corm
Spacing
3–4 inches apart; 4–6 inches for sky blue lilies
Sun
Full sun; sparaxis won't grow in shade, and firecrackers and brodiaea take some light shade
Water
Keep moist while the leaves are growing; once flowering ends and the leaves yellow, keep them dry until they sprout again
Soil
Fast-draining; sandy loam is ideal

Step by step

  1. Check which corms you have. Ixia, sparaxis and babiana are the most tender, firecrackers and brodiaea are hardier, and sky blue lilies are the toughest.
  2. Corms that arrive in spring go in after your last frost, in any zone. If fall-shipped corms aren't hardy where you live, keep them in a paper or mesh bag somewhere dry, dark and frost-free, and plant after your last spring frost.
  3. Choose your sunniest, best-drained spot. A slope, rock garden or bed against a south-facing wall works well.
  4. Plant the corms pointed end up, 3–5 inches deep and 3–4 inches apart. Space sky blue lilies 4–6 inches apart.
  5. Water lightly to settle the soil, then water sparingly until shoots appear.
  6. Once shoots are up, keep the soil moist through flowering and give one light feeding of a balanced water-soluble fertilizer.
  7. In the colder part of their range, spread mulch over fall-planted beds after the first frost.

After bloom

Snip off faded flowers, but leave the leaves until they yellow and die back, then stop watering. Where summers are dry and the corms are hardy, leave them in the ground. Otherwise, dig them once the leaves have died, let them dry, and store them in a paper or mesh bag somewhere dry and frost-free until planting time. Replant the small new corms that form around the old ones too.