Cape Bulbs

Cape Bulbs by Richard Doutt is an essential reference guide for gardeners, collectors, and plant enthusiasts captivated by the extraordinary bulb species of South Africa’s Cape Province. This richly informative book celebrates the remarkable diversity of Cape bulbs—a group of flowering plants renowned for their dazzling colours, intricate forms, and often intoxicating fragrance. Featuring detailed descriptions of several hundred species currently in cultivation, Doutt shares practical advice on propagation, soil requirements, watering, and seasonal care, along with insights into suitable companion plants.

Drawing on extensive field research in South Africa and the wisdom of experienced growers, Cape Bulbs distils information from rare and hard-to-access sources into a single, accessible volume. Readers will discover that, despite their exotic origins, these bulbs are easy to cultivate, thriving in Mediterranean-type climates such as California, central Chile, and southern and western Australia, or in cold frames and greenhouses in cooler regions.

Beautifully written and scientifically sound, this book is both an inspiration and a call to conservation—highlighting how many Cape bulb species now survive only through careful cultivation. For anyone seeking to grow, identify, or simply appreciate these botanical treasures, Cape Bulbs is the definitive guide to one of the world’s most enchanting floras.