This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.

• Position: full sun
• Soil: moist but well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: May to September
• Hardiness: frost hardy (may need winter protection)
  
  An evergreen, rhizomatous member of the Iris family, Dietes bicolor is a tall perennial, with leathery, sword-like pale green leaves, growing from multiple fans at the base of the clump. Short-lived, Iris-like flowers, pale to dark yellow with three dark brown blotches ringed with orange, appear in spring and summer. Best grown in a cool, frost-free greenhouse in full light with good ventilation or placed outdoors in the summer in pots.
  
  
• Garden care: Use a loam-based potting compost and provide good drainage if growing in pots. Plants enjoy full sun over the summer where they will flower in profusion but must be protected or brought indoors to avoid frosts during the cooler months. The plant is drought-tolerant once established but it is best to keep the compost just on the moist side during the dormant season. Seed heads can be removed to promote further flowering and to prevent the plant from self-seeded but leave the stems.