General Information

  • Category- Flower
  • Binomial Name- Moraea
  • Common Names- Butterfly Iris, Cape Tulips, Peacock Flower.
  • Spread- 8 inches**
  • Height- 35 inches**
  • Average Production- 10-12 flowers per plant
  • Days to maturity- 230-250 days*

Environmental Requirements

  • Soil- Well-drained, rich, moist soil.
  • Soil moisture- 20%
  • Soil pH- 5.8-6.0
  • Soil temperature- 18-23°C
  • Climate temperature- 14-24 C
  • Sun Requirements- Full Sun/Partial Sun
  • Best Time to Plant-  Fall

Tips to Grow Moraea

  1. Arrange good quality Moraea nursery plants or bulbs.
  2. The soil should be well-drained, humus-rich, moist, and acidic. Amend planting areas with compost, peat moss, or a substitute, only if your soil is poor.
  3. Plant bulbs fairly deep—6 to 8 inches deep, or about three times the height of the bulb. Dig a hole deeper than that in order to loosen the soil and allow for drainage. In clay soils, plant 3 to 6 inches deep instead.
  4. Set the bulb in the hole with the pointy end up. Cover with soil and press soil firmly.
  5. Mulch plants every spring with 2 to 5 inches of pine bark chips or pine needles to protect shallow roots and retain soil moisture.
  6. Deadhead Moraea as soon as they go by, but do not remove the leaves!
  7. Allow the leaves to remain on the plants for about 6 weeks after flowering. The tulips need their foliage to gather energy for next year’s blooms! After the foliage turns yellow and dies back, it can be pruned off.

** The values are standard values but might change a bit.

*To get flowers quickly, the users can buy plants from nursery.

Flowers