Wood Hyacinth
Ledebouria socialis — a windowsill bulb with leopard-spotted leaves.
Origin
Section titled “Origin”Comes from the dry Eastern Cape of South Africa, which it carries with it in exposed, water-storing bulbs that sit on the soil and multiply into a colony (the socialis). The leaves are the show: silver with dark leopard spotting on top, wine-purple underneath.
Location
Section titled “Location”Bright, with a few hours of direct sun — more light means sharper spots. Keep it at 50–77 °F, never below 45 °F, and out of reach of nibbling cats: like many bulbs it contains cardiac glycosides, so it’s a shelf plant, not a floor plant.
Watering
Section titled “Watering”Soak every 10 days, then let it dry fully; near-dry through winter. Treat it like the succulent it almost is — overwatering means mush. Quarter-strength feed every 8 weeks, April to September.
Pruning
Section titled “Pruning”Nothing to cut: spent leaves pull away from the bulb by hand. When the colony crowds its pot, divide rather than prune.
Repotting
Section titled “Repotting”Every 3 years in early spring, into a shallow pot with every bulb sitting on the surface, never buried. Lift a few bulbs then, return the rest — the spares pot up as gifts.