Beaut bulbs to light up gardens
CLUMPS of white nerines (Nerine flexuosa “Alba”) are bright beacons in the garden right now, and a vibrant contrast to the reds and golds of autumn foliage.
The display is better this year than I’ve seen before. The large number of flowers is partly because the clumps are naturally enlarging each year, but it is also because we had good early autumn rain. Rain in late summer or early autumn seems to stimulate good flowering, especially after a hot dry summer.
At first glance, white nerines resemble dwarf white agapanthus. Like those agapanthus, nerines have heads of small, white, lily-like flowers.
However, white nerines bloom long after agapanthus flowers have finished.
Nerines bulbs are planted in late spring and summer to flower now.
The bulb likes to be planted near the soil surface and, over time, forms large clumps like the ones I’m enjoying in flower in my garden.
Even when the clumps appear to be very congested, it is best just to leave them alone as nerines resent being disturbed too often.
If the clump is so big that it is no longer flowering well, by all means dig it up when the bulbs are dormant, divide it carefully and replant.
Grow nerines in a spot that’s well drained with sun or part shade (I find morning sun and afternoon shade is best for these delicate flowers).
Set them so the neck of the bulb pokes out of the soil. To get a head start on the massed effect, plant several bulbs together.
Nerines leaf up after the flowers appear, which is the time to scatter all-purpose fertiliser. The flowers are longlasting, so pick the blooms to enjoy indoors in a vase.
If left unpicked, dead head after flowering if you want to tidy the clump.
While they survive in very dry conditions, flowering is better with late summer or autumn rain. If conditions remain dry, try watering them at this time to encourage flowering.
Other colours
Nerines don’t just come in white. Commonly seen are red and pink species, including the lolly pink N. bowdenii. There are also many named varieties. All are native to Africa, but were introduced to gardeners from the Channel Islands, particularly the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, in the English Channel.
Legend has it that bulbs were washed ashore at Guernsey after a ship carrying cargo from Africa was wrecked. That was back in the 16th century, but these lovely flowers still grow on the islands and remain widely known as Guernsey or Jersey lilies. The genus name of Nerine also reflects the watery legend as the name is derived from the water nymph Neriae.
The original plant shipwrecked on Guernsey was a brick red flowering species classified as Nerine sarniensis.
The species name “sarniensis” is derived from the word Sarnia, which is the Latin name for the island.
With all of these red herrings, it’s no wonder they are thought to be native to the Channel Islands!
Seen from space
My nerines light up my garden, but they’re certainly not visible from outer space.
Not so California poppies. NASA recently published photos taken from space of vast fields of bright orange covering large parts of Southern California.
The flowers are the native California poppy (Eschschlozia californica), the state floral emblem of California, and the image was snapped from NASA’s
Operation Land Image satellite of an area known as the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. Botanists were concerned that an extended drought in the region could prevent the annual spectacle.
Rain there in March and April appears to have brought out the masses of blooms.
While orange is the colour of the wildflower that’s painting California orange at the moment, there are many other coloured varieties available to grow in the garden, including pink, yellow, white and brown tones.
California poppy naturalises in gardens as it grows easily from seed. It may even become weedy and can find its way into cracks in paving or in wasteland areas.
It likes hot sunny conditions. Sow seed now of this and other poppies for flowers in spring.
Timely reminder
Seeing autumn bulbs like nerine in flower is a timely reminder that springflowering bulbs must be planted now to ensure they flower in spring.
Indeed, many early flowering narcissus are already up and growing preparing for flowering in winter. Some are even in bloom!
Bulbs are not like seeds that can be stored unplanted for a season or more. Bulbs start growing even if they’re not in the ground, and quickly exhaust themselves if they can’t get their roots into soil.
Get planting now if you have bought bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, ranunculus and anemone.