Plant eucomis bulbs in containers
Eucomis are among the most exotic-looking plants that I grow at Longmeadow, with their pineapplelike topknots sitting on spikes of flower rising from lush foliage.
The leaves range from the soft green of some of the white-flowered forms, to a rich plum of some of the comosa hybrids. Their natural home is the Drakensberg mountains of South Africa, often high up, and I have seen them growing wild there. But our Longmeadow climate is very different, and they like wet summers and dry winters without frost, so I grow them in pots that can be kept dry and frostfree under glass all winter.
Eucomis bulbs are large and should be planted in a rich but free-draining compost, positioned so that their snouts are visible above the surface. I then dress them with a layer of grit, both for appearance and to improve drainage. Regular watering stimulates spring growth and the strap-like lush leaves will soon be followed by flower spikes.
They will need a good soak once a week and I also give them a weekly liquid seaweed feed throughout their flowering season. In early October I stop watering, let the leaves die back, put them under cover and do not water again until April.