Bought a pack of two bulbs from Morrisons today -- £1
Has anyone grown these before please ?
yep. in the front garden, leave 'em in, flower every year. ;)
Yes, same as above - bung them in and leave them alone. Let foliage die back to give the bulb energy for next time, if you leave it they will really bulk out and get bigger each year, my last one had a stalk about 18 inches long - superb!
and there's a red leafed form called "Burgundy" which isn't as hardy, we have one in the kitchen and it is just putting up the first shoot for the new year. ;D
Thanks everyone, really looking forward to growing these -
the ' Burgundy ' will be one to look out for !
Any they produce seeds which grow into new plants, found some new baby ones in year two
They're really easy, just plant them well down - the bulbs don't like being frozen - and leave them be. There are several species, I keep meaning to try some of the rarer ones.
Thanks again, do I have to provide drainage ie. sharp sand - and do they need full sun ?
Will keep seeds - may be able to pass them on, x
Have a great garden in a position of full sun all day from East to West, I know bulbs and
tubers can rot, as I have clay based soil - do I need to account for drainage ?
Thanks RB, what are the rarer ones ? Love the ' tops ' to these plants --- so
'pineapple ' ... doh !
floss x
I keep mine in pots for just that reason, and take them into a cold greenhouse in the depths of winter.. :)
I have eight different varieties with different coloured leaves and flowers. They are all growing pots which means I can move them about. The biggest one I have at the moment is E 'pole evansii'. The flower spike is about 2-3' tall but I am sure it would be better if I gave it a bigger pot and more fertiliser. They are very easy to grow and create a lot of interest. I once won 'best in show' for one of these in flower. If you want different ones then it is worth visiting one of the big RHS shows for a specialist nursery, otherwise most shops/catalogues offer E bicolor or E autumnalis, both of which are very attractive in their own right.
Re the drainage - I mixed lots of grit so the area directly under the bulb was about two thirds grit, the gritty layer is about 2-3 inches deep.
Eucomis is a genus with several species. The common one is E bicolor, but there are eleven altogether. There's a page about them here: http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Eucomis . I did find a source for seed of several species, but I don't have it bookmarked on this machine.
Might Jungle seeds have some? :-\
oh thanks everyone -- it's to be pots then with good soil and a good dose
of grit under bulbs for drainage, bring them in to a frost free place late autumn.
The bulbs I have are ' bicolor ' , the picture shows creamy yellow flowers [ I did liken
them to hyacinths ] - and all other foliage green.
Have printed the excellant site for Eucomis that you have put forward for me,
many thanks,
The instructions are to ' plant ' immediately , not sure about that.
Have a frost free side room -- or should I wait ?
With thanks again
floss x
As long as it is frost free I would plant them up ASAP :)
Ooooh thanks sadded , have been looking forward to getting them in !
Will do tomorrow, will come back to you all with my progress and
many thanks again,
floss x
I grew E autumnalis for the first time this year and was very pleased with them. They seem very easy for such an exotic looking flower. I think there's a photo in my gallery. :)
G x