© Geoff Shuetrim, some rights reserved (CC-BY) · iNaturalist
Blandfordia spp.
christmas bells
Overview
Blandfordia is a small genus of tuberous-rooted perennials in the family Blandfordiaceae, native to eastern Australia and known as Christmas bells. Plants grow from fibrous, tuberous roots and form tufts of long, narrow, grass-like leaves 12-30 inches (30-75 cm) tall. In summer, leafless flower stems rise above the foliage to carry several large pendent, tubular flowers near the top. Each waxy flower is 1-2.5 inches (2.5-6 cm) long, usually red to orange with yellow tips and a flared mouth. Flowering in the southern-hemisphere summer, around the December holiday season, gives the plants their common name. Blandfordia grows in heath, swamp margins, and moist sandy soils, often where the ground is wet in winter and drier in summer. Plants need acidic, low-nutrient, well-drained soil and full sun, and grow slowly from seed, taking several years to flower. They are sensitive to root disturbance and to high soil phosphorus, which makes them challenging to cultivate outside specialist conditions.
Native Range
Native to eastern Australia, in coastal and montane heath, swamp edges, and moist sandy or peaty soils, from Tasmania north to Queensland.Suggested Uses
Grown in bog gardens, containers, and specialist collections of Australian plants where acidic, low-phosphorus conditions can be maintained. The summer flowers are sometimes cut, as they last well in water.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 2'6"
Width/Spread8" - 1'4"
Reaches mature size in approximately 4 years
Bloom Information
Flowering occurs in the southern-hemisphere summer, mainly November to January, which corresponds to the Christmas season in Australia. The pendent tubular flowers are held in a loose cluster at the stem tip. Seed capsules form afterward.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
Red with yellow tipsFoliage Description
GreenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Blandfordia grows in full sun on acidic, low-nutrient, sandy or peaty soils that stay moist in winter and drain freely in summer. Plants are sensitive to high phosphorus, so standard fertilisers can harm the roots. They grow slowly from seed and take several years to reach flowering size. Established plants resent disturbance and are slow to recover from transplanting. Reliable moisture during the growing season supports flowering, with drier conditions afterward.Pruning
No structural pruning is needed. Spent flower stems are removed after flowering unless seed is wanted. Old leaves are tidied as they die back.Container Growing
Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 3 gallons