Thread: Eucomis bicolor
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Old 02-03-2003, 11:44 PM
TheGardener
 
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Default Eucomis bicolor


"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , K
writes

I recently bought a pack of 2 of these bulbs at my local GC and there's

not
a lot of info with them. I intend to plant them in a container. Does
anyone have any tips please?


IME they're fairly straightforward. I grow them with the tips just
touching the surface of the soil, and they just grow. They will divide,
so you get more and more of them. Once you have more than you can cope
with, it's worth trying one or two outside in warm spots where they're
sheltered over winter, otherwise, you'll need to bring them indoors over
winter.

They floor quite late in the summer, and flowers and seed stage are both
decorative so they give a display over a long period.

They're quite good slug food, though hippeastrums are preferred.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/


One thing the books don't tell you though - if you grow them in an enclosed
space such as a greenhouse, porch or conservatory - the smell of the flowers
is really horrible! I never noticed this until last year, when I had a few
in the greenhouse (I usually grow them in pots outdoors). When I opened the
door in the morning, the smell was like stale and rotting food :~(((( If
you grow them outside though, you shouldn't get this problem, as the smell
tends to dissipate fairly quickly! They also seed about very easily, and
seeds will germinate in autumn, especially if they fall onto gravel! A few
years before they reach flowering size though.
--
Chrissie
http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk