Guernsey Lily - Bulb

You can plant the Nerine bowdenii bulbs immediately after receiving them either in the ground or in a pot. Beware of late night frosts. When planting the bulbs, make sure that the depth of the hole is twice as large as the height of the bulb. A 5 cm bulb thus needs to be planted in a 10 cm hole. Spacing of Nerine bowdenii is approximately 15 cm. Plant the bulbs in loose, fertile soil with the bulb pointing upwards and the roots down and fill the hole with soil. The delicate flowers look best when the bulbs are planted in groups of at least three bulbs.

Nerine bowdenii grows best in a flower pot or planter in a warm, sheltered area. Put 3 bulbs in a large pot for a spectacular result - the more the better! The flowers appear on leafless stalks with the leaves showing signs of life as the flowers start to open.

The exotic flowers have an amazing shape: the large cup has 6 petals that are closely wrapped around it

Water your Nerine bowdenii regularly in summer, but not too much, enough to prevent the soil around the bulbs from drying out. For an extra rich flowering of Nerine bowdenni we recommend in the spring through to July adding plant food when watering this will considerably strengthen the bulb for the following year. Do not feed after July. Transplant the bulbs only when necessary. The Nerine bulbs multiply each year.

Nerine bowdenii's bulbs are not hardy, but they are fairly easy to overwinter. Give them less water during the autumn and place the pot in a frost-free area for the winter. Let the soil dry out completely during this period. Give more water in the spring when the young leaves are visible again. You can now water regularly, adding plant food to the water. Let nerine bowdenii gradually get used to the outdoors once again. When there are no more night frosts, nerine bowdenii can be left outdoors on your patio or decking. If you planted Nerine bowdenii in a highly permeable soil (or in soil in a large pot) and it will be left stand outside to overwinter, you can protect them with a good layer of leaves and other organic material or cover with a few layers of fleece fabric. This is often sufficient but not guaranteed.