[pbs] Eucomis hybrids?
Jane McGary
janemcgary at earthlink.net
Sat Dec 16 15:32:23 EST 2006
One of the South African genera I actually can grow in my much colder
northern Oregon garden is Eucomis, probably because they are dormant in
winter. To protect the bulbs I plant them quite deep, and put a thick layer
of bark mulch on top. I think they don't grow so deep in nature. I grow
them in a bed that gets watered a lot because it contains a large
Franklinia. My plants flower well (in this bed I have E. pole-evansii, E.
autumnalis, E. bicolor, and one of the purple-leaved hybrids) and are not
floppy, as Terry and Mary Sue complained. Perhaps the deep planting helps
with the latter problem? Also, the soil is quite rich, and I fertilize them
along with all the other perennial beds, with an application of
8-month-release commercial pelleted fertilizer in spring, as well as
occasional top-dressing with composted cow manure.
Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA
where the ground is icy and dusted with snow today.
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