I have bought a pack of 3 bare rooted eringium planum which have come with very little instruction. The plants. are approx 4-6" long. Can anyone help with planting advice, please - particularly whether the plants should be planted vertically or horizontally.
Hi BradshawJ and welcome to the forum. Did you get them in a Poundland shop? I recently bought three packets (ie 9 plants) - not because I wanted them, but because they were so cheap. :D I am a bit wary of buying bareroot plants - more seem to die on me than survive. I think the reason so many die is that they are lifted before they have become dormant. Consequently the warmth and light in the shop stimulates them to start growing again at this time of year and they use up all the energy that they have stored in their roots, which they needed to keep for next spring. However, I think Erigium planum is a bit different because it is a good fat genuine root/tuber with bags of energy stored, rather like a carrot. So it goes vertically in the soil with the pointed end at the bottom. If in doubt I am sure you can lay it sideways. Nature has a way of sorting things out. I was not sure of the depth, but looked at a site that said 3 to 4 cms deep (ie the top 3 to 4 cms below the soil level). This is what I would have expected. It needs to be a bit below the surface to give it some protection when the soil freezes. I have grown them before from roots, and its a pretty easy plant. It doesn't like getting too wet, so stick it somewhere in the garden where its dry and in full sun. The root is a what's called a tap root (like a carrot) and can go down very deep. Thats why it is happy in dry soil, but the downside is that like all tap rooted plants it doesn't like to be moved.
I remember this question coming up before and a very good answer to it by WiseOldOwl. Check out this thread and scroll down to the four answer. http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/bare-root-perennials-t26939.html?t=26939&highlight=bare+root
Many thanks for the detailed advice Peter & SussexG, I'll get them planted asap. My experience with dry rooted plants has been patchy in the past, but at £1 it's worth a shot. Yes Peter it was Poundland! John
