About a decade ago, still fresh from college and newly empowered by a summer of hard gardening work, I set off for an internship at the famed Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, in Cape Town, South Africa. I might have returned totally broke and overly tanned, but this three-month stay turned out to be memorable. To this day I have a vivid recollection of searching among proteas and zebras for the rarest wild pelargonium, of countless hours of hand pollenating lachenalias, of forests of tree aloes, of sand dunes taken over by flash annuals.

Only a handful of those exotic plants, however, remain in my repertoire as a garden designer. Beyond my own sentimental attachment, these Afrikaners are sure to add a sophisticated dash of interest to summer borders and studied planter compositions. CYAN Horticulture Pineapple Lily
(Eucomis spp)

East of the better-known Western Cape Province, closer to the city of Durban, lies a stunningly beautiful and rather small range of mountains, the Drakensberg. For a long weekend, I explored solo the accessible slopes of its northern end.

There, dotted in the grasslands, were agapanthus and tree ferns, cabbage trees and ... pineapple lilies. I have always loved pineapple lilies, but upon seeing masses of this particularly colorful one (Eucomis spp), I was definitely hooked. CYAN Horticulture There couldn't be anything easier to grow than pineapple lilies. In any sizable terra-cotta pot or right in a flower bed, they happily sprout from a sturdy globular bulb and unfold light green, glossy leaves.

From this rosette comes up a rigid, vertical stem on which is amassed quantities of small flowers.

There are about 15 species of Eucomis, and this spectacular one, shot in the wild, remains unidentified, to me at least. CYAN Horticulture Plantsmen and breeders have recently turned their attention to this little-known bulb. The results are giant (5 feet) or dwarf (shorter than 12 inches), flushed with purple or pure white, and so on.

In warmer climates (like mine) they are left to overwinter outside — as long as their soil drains sharply. Elsewhere they can be dug up and stored like dahlias and gladioli.

Recently a friend of mine at the Montreal Botanical Garden mass planted some, to arresting effect.

USDA zones: 7 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Well-drained soil
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: Varies
Seasonal interest: Summer to fall
When to plant: Spring to summer CYAN Horticulture Cape Hyacinth
(Lachenalia spp)

The somewhat extreme weather (hot, sunny and limited rainfall) that blights South Africa is for some — succulents and such — a blessing. Other plants have adapted by disappearing underground once things get too tough; bulbs do just that; they retreat into their onion full of reserves.

In the Cape Province, bulbs abound like nowhere else on earth. One of its endemic genera, the most charming of them all, is nicknamed Cape hyacinth (here seen tucked between the rocks is Lachenalia peersii). CYAN Horticulture And indeed Lachenalias do look like miniature hyacinths (Hyacinthus) or, better, like grape hyacinths (Muscari). There are more than a hundred species of them, some highly fragrant, other sporting the rarest shades of turquoise blue.

Most should be kept as potted specimens, discussion pieces for real pros. Better garden varieties (foolproof varieties, I should say) have started gracing our nursery shelves, lost among other bedding plants. Grab them; they are adorable.

USDA zones: 8 or 9 to 11
Water requirement: Lean and well-drained soil (dry in dormancy)
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: Less than 1 foot tall
Seasonal interest: Varies
When to plant: While in dormancy CYAN Horticulture Butterfly Iris
(Moreae spp)

Back in the "Dragon Mountains," I encountered for the first time representatives of the genus Moreae, the butterfly iris. As varied and exotic looking as the Cape hyacinth, butterfly irises tend to go completely dormant during the dry season. CYAN Horticulture A minority, though, like this one example (Moraea alticola), remains evergreen. With only a couple to a few leathery leaves, however long, its remaining evergreen does sound like a lesser challenge.

A decade after my introductory visit to the Drakensberg, a few seeds that had inadvertently fallen in my pocket have germinated, and a single seedling has survived my Vancouver winters as well as my constant neglect ever since. The first bloom, which I am still awaiting, will be like receiving a postcard sent long, long ago.

USDA zones: 8 to 10
Water requirement: Well-drained soil
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2 1/2 feet tall
Seasonal interest: Summer
When to plant: Spring to summer