I am in love.
I have just spent three days in Amsterdam.
The canals, the relaxed pace of life, the pretty streets and bijou shops. And the flower markets of course. A veritable Aladdin's flotilla of greenhouses chock full of every bulb you can think of, with small packets of cannabis stuffed in the gaps to tempt the tourist into a novel souvenir. Large recently dug agapanthus tubers coud be bought by the kilo but I fell for the scrambling charms of Gloriosa Rothschildiana (Glory lily) a North African native which is elegant as it is beautiful. Deep green polished leaves show off the large spidery, crimped petalled magenta-pink petals in July making this a climber of distinction.
It's a tender tuberous rooted perennial climber related to the Lilium family and will require cold and frost protection in all but the mildest areas in the UK. It gets to about 6ft so I intend to start it off in a pot pot and transfer it into the border around May when all frost risk has passed. Perhaps I shall also grow one on the patio against a sunny wall for exotic colour and shape. But they are adaptable and you can grow them against a trellis, sunny wall, up an obelisk or against a short pillar.
Why not have a go at growing this lovely exotic climber next spring as it really is easy?
The roots come pre-packed in chippings. So just plant them on their sides in pots, say, about 3-4" deep and cover with compost. Water them well, thoroughly soaking the compost and then allow any residue to drain away. If kept in a warm room new shoots will appear in two to three weeks. Keep them watered regularly as they grow, but don't drown them - they won't appreciate waterlogged soil. If you want to save the tubers for next year, simply stop watering around October and let the foliage die back and the compost dry out completely. Store the pot housing its tubers in a warm dry spot over winter and then its back to the green house for them the following spring so they can show off all over again next summer.
