Nerine Planting Guide
Nerines are an oldie but a goodie - According to a popular anecdote, Nerine got its common name (well, not so common in New Zealand), Guernsey lily, when a specimen washed up on the shores of Guernsey, an island in the English Channel, thus introducing the South African native to Europe.
Nerine blooms as a cluster of flowers on a leafless stem. Each flower is trumpet-shaped with recurved petals. Nerines are the perfect cutflower.
Nerines like to be hot and dry - they do best in full Sun, in sandy, very well drained soil.
Nerines should be planted as soon as you receive them.
Planting Nerines…
- Site your Nerines in Full Sun, with free draining soil.
- Loosen the soil to a depth of 15cm, adding in some good general purpose fertilizer, or ideally our special bulb food mix.
- Plant your Nerines with the neck of the Bulb above the surface of the soil (the top of Nerine Bulbs should never be fully buried)
- Water lightly.
Nerines for cutting…
Nerines make a fantastic cutflower, with very good vaselife.
You should cut the stems of your Nerines so that you leave about 5-10cm on the plant itself.
Ideally you should pick your flowers in the mornings to avoid the heat, and while the blooms haven’t fully opened - Nerines will continue to open up once they’re in your vase.
Keep them in cool water, away from the windows, as the heat will affect their vaselife - you should re-trim the stems every day or two, and replace the water.
After Flowering…
Nerines like to be left undisturbed, so we recommend leaving them in the ground to bulk up - eventually after a few years of bulking, you should dig them out and split up (replant immediately after digging)
