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Eremurus 'Cleopatra' |
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| | These were grown from 'Spring Valley' hybrids |
| Common name |
foxtail lily |
| Family |
asphodelaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial |
| Flowers |
pinkish orange (May-June) |
| Size |
5' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
From seed  |
I can't seem to grow eremurus from seed. Several attempts yielded seedlings that were promising, but invariably, the foliage just died down in late spring, and the plants never returned.
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The impressive flower spikes open their blossoms from the bottom upwards. Foliage is like a cross between big-bladed grass and daylilies.
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| | Foliage pushing up in early April |
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This plant used to grow in our garden, but it slipped away... About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Eremurus 'Cleopatra'
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| ACWinOH | Oct 18, 2008 | Do you leave this plant in your garden? I understood it to be hardy only to Zone 8 or am I thinking of another plant with similar common name?! I'd love to have one of these with the green bloom as I collect green flowering plants (and chocolate) so perhaps its the color I want? On the other hand, if yours aren't surviving winter, perhaps it isn't hardy up north? - Carol
I believe it's marginally hardy in our climate - or perhaps our garden's soil isn't quite well-drained enough. They get through most winters, but tend to be short-lived. Certainly there are other eremurus species that are significantly less hardy. |
| christine | Jan 11, 2009 | I GROW eremurus in zone 4. I Have thrown the roots on top of the ground in the most severe winter & had them bloom the next spring. NO PROBLEM to grow from seed. After growing these roots for over 20 years I can honestly say that they seem to prefer cold winters & drought/hot summers to bake. They grow like weeds here in ontario, Canada. The trick is that the plants environment must mimic their natural habitat. Do not add fertilizer or bury to deep-must be shallow. I use a little kelp, green sand & compost. I SEND all my seed to the NARGS & the Royal Horticultural Society in England but can hold some for you this summer,2009, just remind me in July when I harvest. (I have all varieties).
Thanks for the advice, Christine! My experience is that they are hardy but not long-lived - but perhaps I'm not providing just the right environment. |
| Dugald Cameron | Jun 18, 2009 | Eremurus are far hardier than you think. I have friends growing them in USDA zone 2! They must have drainage, little water over the summer and a hot, baking summer. It's a good idea to mulch them AFTER the ground freezes to keep them from coming up too early. A late spring frost can kill them.
Dugald Cameron
Toronto Canada
Zone 6 |
| ruelmain | Nov 13, 2009 | I have just bought my first plants; the guide says 15cm deep--is this too much? Are they propagated from seed or can they be divided?
The depth sounds about right - make sure to plant the crowns with plenty of room for the roots to spread out. They can be grown from seed, but it's not easy, and takes a long time to get to blooming size. I've not tried to divide them, since they grow from a central point - but it may be possible to propagate by root cuttings. |
| Calin in Oradea, Romania | Apr 08, 2010 | I BOUGHT some roots i think last year. it was spring. they never shot any green leaves. were just there right under the ground, with the middle part still exposed, in the sun, and nothing happpened.
it was a droughty summer but i occasionally watered.
they didn't die, they just never moved a bit.
was really disappointed. i will see what happens this spring. but i forgot where they are. thinking the first spot was wrong, and wanting to check on them, i dug them up and planted somewhere else. forgot where.
would be cool to have these in the garden.
a friend told me the rhizomes/roots need to be fresh? not dry! when purchased.
well, on mine, they were pretty dried up!
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| Bob in Moscow Idaho | Aug 21, 2010 | A neighbor brought me a few dug up roots of a tall, yellow Eremurus. I stuck them in the ground, and each spring they put up a dramatic 7 foot tall brilliant spike. These plants last for years up here in zone 5-6 Idaho (Palouse region). I think they're good because they die back and you can toss some cosmos or other annuals around the area to have something later in the season. The plants are quite impressive, and extrememly easy. I'm trying to sow seeds around the base of the big plants to see if I can increase the patch.
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| Fiona in Western Washington State | Apr 27, 2012 | I adore Eremurus but mine have stopped flowering. Also, I am never quite sure how to treat them after they have died down.
Has their place in the garden become shadier over the years? I just leave the spent flower stalks up for as long as they serve an ornamental purpose – then I cut them down. No further maintenance on my part. |
| hanieh | Dec 31, 2014 | I am going to start domestication of eremurus spectabilis in north east of Iran. I need some information of this species. Any help is appreciated. |
| Christine Davis | Apr 11, 2020 | I bought 3 large pot of Eremurus last fall, 2019. When I went to plant them, there were 3-4 roots in the post and they were VERY tangled together. I was concerned with the thought of trying to get them apart because they were very thick and very snug. So, I plopped them all into their respective holes together, crossed my finger and hoped that they would figure it out themselves?! So now it is spring and each mound has leaves coming up so fingers crossed. Have you ever heard of roots in this condition before? I'm wondering if I should check on what is happening this fall? What happens to the roots if a tendril breaks off? |
| Christine Davis | Apr 13, 2020 | I bought 3 large pot of Eremurus last fall, 2019. When I went to plant them, there were 3-4 roots in the post and they were VERY tangled together. I was concerned with the thought of trying to get them apart because they were very thick and very snug. So, I plopped them all into their respective holes together, crossed my finger and hoped that they would figure it out themselves?! So now it is spring and each mound has leaves coming up so fingers crossed. Have you ever heard of roots in this condition before? I'm wondering if I should check on what is happening this fall? What happens to the roots if a tendril breaks off? |
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Last modified:
February 14, 2010
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