What do i have please?
Mark MacDonald
Posts: 2
in Plants
Hi there, very novice but now enjoying being a gardener.
I have enclosed two pics of plants I have in the garden. I think both were grown from bulbs. Does anyone know what the plants are and what action is required over the winter. Do they die and I cut back and grow back from the bulb? Any advice would be most grateful as I have enjoyed the great flowers from these two plants. Many thanks.Mark
0
Posts
They look like begonias which grown from corms. They aren't hardy but if you keep removing the dead flowers and bring them indoors after the leaves die but before the winter frosts, they should survive and come again next year. Once the leaves die, don't water them at all and re-pot the corms into fresh compost next spring. You can put them anywhere frost-free (eg a shed or garage) over the winter as they won't need any light until they start growing next year. Some folk remove the corms from the pots and store them dry over winter.
Hi Mark. Had a quick look through my book and the closest I can get are Begonias, especially the leaf. If they are Begonias, lift in October, cut off the stem once the leaves have died back then store in a frost free place in dry compost. They like to grow in good, rich compost and hate lime and frost. Plant out in June.
Many thanks to you all for your helpful advice. So to get this right. Keep tidy until all flowers have gone then detach stem from tuber then keep potted and stored until next June. Sounds good and easy. I presume this is the case for most if not all bulb plants.
Keep the tubers somewhere safe and frost free - but make a note of "which way is up"! It's very easy to plant a tuber upside down when you're looking at a rather unprepossessing brown thing in the spring!
Lovely pics btw - certainly look like they will be well worth saving.