NERINES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 21, 25 January 1940, Page 19

NERINES

These summer-flowering bulbous plants a fairly fer^fe #n£p and j »-**»* tffi *tt a«a moSt ferttf 61 their class. liike the Belladonna, lilies", —they throw up their flowering spikes from tile bare bulb's, before foliage appears ih xfiWf cases, But 'there Irl 'one of 'two kinds which are,practically wergrfeen. The flowers are borne in umbels on good firhi stemsi from.l 2to 24 inched h'lgh according to vkriety. . As a cut flower for room,decoration lew blooms last as well, while/the coldurs.^hieh range from white mrough various shades'of'pinfc to vivid scarlet arid deep, crimson, are all very .striking, some "having {he appearance of being p6wderea^with'i'6ldd"ust. The different varieties flo.wer.at different times throughout March and April The requirements of tfie bulbs are much the same as those of the belladonnas The-ground should be well dug and have a liberii supply of htmius worlied ffito low'er^pit. A good sandy loam •saits them best atid: fresh animal manures, should -. be 1 avoided Bori'edust and wood ashes worked'into the soil before planting wT' be beneficial. The bulbs should be planted with, the nose out of the soil, so that they may be thoroughly baked in the sum-

mer, otherwise they do not flower satisfactorily. ' . ; J^V^£u*°X™& un tn the foliage commences to die down, when water should be withheld, It is not advisable to lift the bulbs too frequently, better results being obtamed when they are rather crowded, probably because they force themselves out-of-the soil and so get thoroughly ripened, The present time is the best for planting. These are some of the best varieties:—Fothergilli Major. These have. large heads Nof vivid scarlet blooms on long stems. Bowdinii is a rose pink variety—the largest Of all the nerines—which flowers later than most. Crispa is the smallest flower 6t all, a very dainty variety with pale pink flowers. Flexuqsa alba, a very useful white variety with crimped petals. Sarniensis, the Guernsey Lily, is a very hardy variety having fosecrimson flowers. Unfortunately these are rathef shy bloomers.,, ■. p - The Japanese Spider lilies ,(Lycons) are allied to nerines, and are frequently catalogued under the same heading. Among these perhaps the best is Aurea, which is a golden yellow, They require the same treatment as nerines.