Drimia spaerocephala, One For the Plant Geeks

This bulb finally bloomed from seed for the first time this summer, and its an odd one.  It comes from wet areas and ranges to very high altitudes in Kwa Zulu/Natal into the Free State, so it probably is hardy here.  I set some unflowered plants out in the garden a week ago to test this, meanwhile I'll keep the pot with the flowering plant as a backup just in case.  The peculiar flowers have elongated thin petals that project outwards, the umbel is vaguely reminiscent of some kind of weird tulbaghia.   This is another plant that is probably not being grown by anyone in my area but diversity makes for an interesting garden and plant collection in my view.  I don't think we will ever see this plant in the big box stores but it might make an interesting addition to the garden if it proves winter hardy.  The fact that it comes from marshy areas would indicate a high tolerance for wet ground, which is a good indicator that it would survive our winters since it can take both cold and wet in its native haunts.