Paradisea lusitanica

Paradisea Asparagaceae

A Portuguese lily with the good sense to make its flowers look like miniature white trumpets—and plenty of them. Paradisea lusitanica is a handsome, clump-forming perennial with narrow, grass-like basal leaves and upright stems carrying loose racemes of elegant, pure-white, trumpet-shaped flowers in late spring and early summer. The flowers are particularly effective when planted in drifts, where the slender stems rise above the foliage like a little procession of white candles.

It is native to Portugal and north-western Spain, particularly the cooler, moister regions of the Iberian Atlantic fringe. It favours grassy slopes, open woodland and other fertile, reasonably moist habitats. The RHS recommends fertile, moist but well-drained soil in sun or dappled shade and rates it H5. 

Its Portuguese common names include varinha-de-são-josé (“St Joseph’s little staff”) and açucena-portuguesa (“Portuguese lily”). 

A superb plant for a herbaceous border, meadow or open woodland, especially where its elegant flowering stems can be allowed to move naturally amongst grasses and other perennials.

Height: 60–100cm
Spread: 30–50cm
Flowering: May–July
Hardiness: H5, approximately -15 to -10°C
Position: Full sun to dappled shade
Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained
Habit: Clump-forming, rhizomatous perennial
Flowers: Pure white, trumpet-shaped
Distribution: Portugal and Spain
Portuguese names: Varinha-de-são-josé, açucena-portuguesa