READER’S QUESTION

THE bulbs in my clump of nerines are crowded. Some have even been squeezed out and can be gathered like windfall apples. Should I divide up the clump and re-plant?

Mrs J. Bosworth, Norfolk.

You can plant ‘windfalls’ straight away. They’ll be fine and will flower next year. Choose a sunny spot and plant deep enough to cover their tops.

The time for lifting and dividing clumps will be just after flowering. The official advice is: lift, divide and replant bulbs at least 10cm apart in fast-draining soil, in a sunny spot.

however, a nerine expert once told me that he never disturbed his clumps. he gathered and replanted the bulbs which had been squeezed out.