Veltheimia capensis is a winter-growing geophyte perfectly adapted to the Mediterranean-style climate of South Africa's western Cape: cool, wet winters followed by hot, bone-dry summers. The egg-shaped bulb, often planted with its papery upper scales exposed above the soil surface, produces a rosette of wavy, blue-green leaves in early fall, sometimes accompanied by the flower spike itself. Dense clusters of pink tubular flowers follow through mid-winter before the foliage begins to die back and the bulb retreats into dormancy.

The summer dormancy period is the plant's most critical. Keeping dormant bulbs completely dry prevents the fungal rots that are the primary threat. A rock garden or a container that can be moved under cover in summer suits it well. In zones 9 to 11, the plant attracts songbirds to its flowers and carries solid disease resistance through the growing season. Seed capsules detach and disperse on the wind, germinating with the return of cooler fall temperatures, perpetuating the colony from year to year.