“Waterlily is the most reliable of the Colchicum cultivars in the Garden,” says Boyce Tankersley, director of living plant documentation.

The lavender flowers make for striking displays when the bulbs are planted among groundcovers like vinca or pachysandra. Flowers appear from mid-September until the Garden experiences a hard frost. “Boldly striated foliage comes up in early spring and goes dormant in May—perfect timing for interplanting with annuals or with perennials that come up relatively late in the season to complement the Waterlily when it comes into flower.”