Light: Full sun to light shade; afternoon shade is helpful in Phoenix, especially near heat-reflecting walls.
Water: Low water. Water occasionally during fall-through-spring leaf growth, allowing soil to dry between waterings. Keep mostly dry during summer dormancy; avoid routine summer irrigation.
Soil: Very well-drained sandy or gravelly soil. Use raised beds or gritty container mixes where native soil drains poorly; keep the bulb neck above soil level.
Mature size: Foliage approximately 1–2 feet tall and 2–3 feet wide; flower stalks commonly reach 3–6 feet tall.
Bloom: Established, mature bulbs typically bloom annually in late summer to early fall, often before new leaves appear. Young bulbs may take several years to flower.
Evergreen / deciduous: Summer-deciduous; leaves grow during the cooler months and die back in late spring or early summer.
Growth rate: Moderate seasonal leaf and flower growth; slow bulb enlargement and clump formation.