???

I think that is Acidanthera, which used to be known as Abyssinian Gladiolus. I think they are lovely, and have planted them on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately, I have never managed to keep them beyond the first year. I hope you have better luck with them!

Hi Katarina, yes Melchisedec is correct, they were called Acidanthera bicolor, now they're called Gladiolus murielae.
Melchisedec, they're frost tender, which is probably why you've only managed to get 1 year out of them, Derek.

Right, Derek. Thanks for that info! That would explain it.

Thank you very much to both of you. I was just thinking of their resistance to frost, but I thought, well, all bulbs survive in the soil, so would this one. If it is a flower from exotic areas, it is interesting, that it didn t bloom in the summer, when we really had a "tropical" dry and hot weather. It started now, when temperatures dropped to 5 C and it rained for a whole week. So fingers crossed. I like them.

They do really well in large pots, so you can store them in a frost free area. Growth doesn't start until July, so you don't have to be in a rush to put them out in a sunny place. Then water & feed them.

Thank you, Wylieintheazores. Do you have them?

Yes, and they are in flower. I bought the bulbs in Germany in the fall of 1994, and have enjoyed them every year. If you do grow them in a pot, they tend to multiply faster, so watch for overcrowding.