Acidanthera murielae

Add a touch of late-summer elegance to the garden with Acidanthera murielae, a graceful, exotic-looking corm valued for its striking flowers and captivating scent. Also known as the Abyssinian Gladiolus or Peacock Orchid, it brings a relaxed, architectural quality to borders and cut-flower patches alike.

Tall, slender stems rise to around 70-100cm (28-39in), topped from late summer into early autumn with elegant, arching sprays of pure white, star-shaped flowers, each marked with a deep maroon-purple blotch at the throat. The blooms carry a wonderful, sweet fragrance, particularly noticeable in the evening, making them a lovely addition near seating areas as well as in the border. The narrow, sword-like foliage is attractive in its own right, echoing that of related gladioli.

Best planted in a sunny, sheltered spot with free-draining soil, Acidanthera murielae is not reliably hardy in most of the UK and is best treated as a tender perennial, lifted and stored over winter, or grown as a half-hardy annual. It also performs beautifully in pots, where its height and scent can be appreciated up close.

Ideal for late-summer borders, cut flowers, and container displays, this elegant corm offers real drama and fragrance at a time when many other bulbs have finished flowering.