Pineapple Lilies

[jojo2910]

Hi,

We bought some of these this year and they have now died back. I have puller out the stems and old flower heads but the leaves remain. I am after some tips on winter care for the flowers. Does anyone how to care for them over the winter?

Plus if anyone wants some seeds PM me.

Cheers in advance

[Polly Fouracre]

I may well be wrong(it has been known!) but I was told to never pull old leaves/flower stalks out of my lilies because of rain getting into the bulb and causing rot. Or am I just talking rot??

[Alison]

If they're the things I'm thinking of then they're pretty tender and like to be kept dry over winter. I grew some from seed a few years ago (probably about 15 or so) which gradually fattened up into bulbs and were very pretty in the summer. I had them in pots and brought them into the greenhouse in the winter and then didn't water. Come spring I repotted into new compost and started them off again. Got bored with them in the end and left them out. They all rotted and died.

[bramble]

You're quite right Polly.
Some people say you should plant lily (and bulbs of the lily family) on their sides. This also saves the bulb from rotting if water gets to the inside.

[jojo2910]

Ah! I think we'll bring them in and hope for the best.

[SueA]

I think some eucomis (pineapple lilies) are borderline hardy but I usually put mine that are in pots in the plastic zip-up greenhouse & keep them fairly dry over winter & only start watering properly again in the spring.
You can grow new plants from leaf cuttings as well as seeds but it's too late to start them off now I think. I tried it last year & got one plant out of the 2 pieces I tried. I just cut a leaf into pieces, pushed them slightly into a pot of compost mixed with vermiculite & covered it with a plastic bag. Eventually little bulbs form on the edges & you can pot these up. I just got a leaf on it this year which eventually the slugs ate but it would take a couple of years until they reach flowering stage I think.

[Gearoid]

Although they're thought of as tender, they survived the harsh winter in my mom's garden in the north of England last winter and happily popped back up again this year.