Eucomis

I left it to late to buy the ones I wanted last year so I was quick off the mark and have ordered these three varieties also after one called "Pink Gin".




@longk

I want to grow in pots , so what size pot and best compost to use also I remember longk mentioning taking leaf cuttings so that would be useful to have that info as well

Spruce


Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'


Eucomis vandermerwei


Eucomis comosa 'Twinkle Stars'

 

I've got about 4 bulbs in a 12" pot, they've been in there for several years in bog-standard compost and have had absolutely no special care at Madahlia's plant penitentiary. They just seem to do their stuff every year without much trouble.

The purple ones are very nice, mine are just the normal creamy ones.

 

This is the link I have stored - there may be others too
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/whats-looking-exotic-in-june.43588/page-2#post-553734

 

Thanks Kristen very useful , very kind of you

Spruce

 

Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy' is a biggie so 3 bulbs to a 50cm pot.
Eucomis vandermerwei is a dwarf one. If I remember correctly these (at OBG) were in a 15/20cm pot.....................

Eucomis comosa 'Twinkle Stars' I'm not familiar with, but probably as big as 'Sparkling Burgundy". Free draining, but I do add water gel thingies below the bulb where the roots will grow as the foliage is like a sponge and wilts badly if they dry out.

 

As well as the common E bicolor I have Vandermerwei and yes it is a dwarf one barely reaching a foot I height, I prefer the larger ones so I am going after Sparkling Burgundy.

 

I bought some of those, and have grown more fond of them since, so I'm up for having more of them <fx:makes mental note to propagate them later this year>

I planted mine in [deep] Rose pots, and plunged them in the ground. They flowered first year, but not last year. I have since read that they are more hardy than I thought ... perhaps I should just plant them out?

I'd appreciate any advice pls.

 

Just had a quick look on ebay at Eucomis bicolor they have some seeds for sale for £1.99,
in the advert there saying they can take temperature down to -12 as a plant

 

Here's a good tall one.......................


It's Sues and we bought it as Eucomis (pallidiflora) pole evansi but it clearly isn't as the colour is wrong. It does show how greedy for water the large ones can be - we took a couple of days away and came back to find it on the floor (hence the cane).

Here's a link to page three of the PBS Eucomis pages - you can explore from there.

 

I've never got mine through anything other than a mild winter outdoors

 

@Kristen = my Sparkling Burgundy bombed last year too. I think the spring was maybe too cold for too long.

 

I was wondering that as I live in the North West, its worth a gamble as I'm getting a paraffin heater for my greenhouse

 

Hmmm ... mine were under glass and not planted out until June AFAICR. I think they are not getting enough water in pots - not much space around the foliage to direct the water INTO the pots.

Do you think it was Cold + Wet that did for yours outside? I'm thinking to cover them with a rain-shelter in Winter. Although heavy clay they are close to a land drain, so should be "well drained" - within reason!

I have E. pole-evansii, bu clearly in far too small a pot. You links says it can grow to 6' - it ain't going to do that in the poxy little pot I have it in From memory that is less hardy, so I'll pot that into a much bigger pot and over winter under cover.

That reminds me, haven't lifted by evergreen Agapanthus yet. Not had any cold yet, but have had plenty of wet - dunno if they will mind that, or not.

 

I may be wrong, but I thought the evergreen species were hardier? Haven't lifted the ones here and they came through 2012/13 winter fine.

Almost certainly.

My other thought is that I planted it too shallow. My necks were well above the soil line...........

Certainly grow them in pots for a year or two to grow the bulb as big as possible before committing it to the outdoors. Sacrifice a leaf or two late summer to propagate as well.

 

Hi Ian

I have grown the white/creamy ones before , I start drying out the soil in early Autumn leave in the pots and have put in a frost free garage after removing any old leaves and checking for slugs etc and didnt have any problem with them in the spring when I would pop back in the greenhouse until all frost were over.

I would imagine from seeds it would take a couple of years to get them up to a flowering size

Spruce