Chasmanthe grows from corms that know exactly what they are doing. In its native Cape Provinces, the plant follows a seasonal rhythm inverse to most temperate gardens: dormant through summer heat, alive with growth and bloom from autumn through spring. The flowers, carried in dense spikes of twenty to thirty curved, gaping blooms in shades of gold, orange, and red, arrive in March and April in their native southern hemisphere calendar, drawing hummingbirds with reliable effectiveness. The genus name, from the Greek for "gaping flower," is apt: each bloom opens like a small, bright mouth.

In colder climates beyond zones 10 and 11, corms cannot survive frost below minus four degrees Celsius, making containers the most practical approach. A terra cotta pot filled with gritty, well-drained compost suits them well; plant corms four inches deep and allow the pot to rest dry in a cool, bright place through winter dormancy. Outdoors in favourable climates, Chasmanthe can spread rapidly by corm division and seed, something to manage with periodic lifting every three to four years. The reward, in season, is a spectacle of bold tropical colour that few plants in the iris family can rival.