Eremurus 'LINE DANCE'

Desert candle is a perfect name for this attractive perennial. And its other name foxtail lily is even funnier and tells the truth, too. This plant has sturdy stems that can grow 1-2m tall and half of the stem is decorated with small flowers of various colours.

Do you know Line Dance? A dance where dancers are formed in one or more rows and the fact that they all make the same moves and repeat them over and over makes the performance very attractive. This desert candle variety, an e.robustus hybrid was named exactly like this dance which is nowadays popular especially in country-western culture. It produces about 1.5m tall stems holding numerous star-shaped flowers. Profusion of almost evenly sized inflorescences close together makes an appearance of a group of line dancers who just froze for a second the very moment we’re looking at them. Use your imagination to believe that as soon as we look away, they continue with their wild and joyful dances, and if we decide to turn our heads back they freeze again.

The flowers are almost white and open from pale pink buds, holding prominent orange stamens. They are non-fragrant for humans but attract plenty of winged insects, especially various chafers with gold and green shards. Flowering begins in about mid June and lasts until early July.

The leaves are lance shaped, pale blue green to grey green, and die back after flowering. That is why it makes sense to accompany foxtail lily with late emerging plants which fill in the empty space when it becomes dormant for the rest of the season. Good choices are late emerging and flowering perennials such as summer hypericum or late summer to early autumn flowering ceratostigma or some non-invasive ornamental grasses which make most of mass and foliage in midsummer.

This perennial needs very well-drained soil mixed with sand to keep the roots from rotting. It should be reasonably fertile and fed once the leaves unroll until the flowers fade out. Its roots are fleshy and very fragile – be extra careful when transplanting it not to break them and don’t dig around the plant ever more. Winter mulching is recommended for colder areas. Grow it in full sun with shelter from strong wind and protect early emerging shoots from strong late frosts. Hardy to about -29 °C.

Last update 27-06-2021