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Chionodoxas and aconites - advice?
wisehedgecrone
Posts: 118
Hi all!
Last autumn I planted loads of scillas and chionodoxas, hoping for a sea of blue in late winter/early Spring. But so far there are no chionodoxas emerging that I can see, and the scillas are only just beginning to show.
I've also tried a few times to grow aconites and the same thing's happened. I thought I'd try again with them this year and have ordered some 'in the green' but what can I do to make them happier? I thought they'd grow easily!
Any advice welcome!
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Posts
Aconites are difficult to establish, if they don't like the spot you planted them in they won't reappear.
It is a little early for Chionodoxa to appear too. By the way they are now Scilla, not Chionodoxa. The only ones of ours which are showing is an early one called Valentine's Day and they are only just above soil, in a pot in the Alpine House. They are supposed to flower for February 14th. obviously.They never have for me. Generally, out in the garden there are no signs of them yet.
If you want SCilla in late winter then look out for Scilla mischtschenkoana (still often sold as Scilla tubergeniana. That is flowering now for us.
What sort of spot do aconites like Mark?
They do best in a sunny or lightly shaded spot with well drained soil, they are like snowdrops in that the bulbs should not dry out, so best planted in the green.
Charlie, how do you get gladioli to flower before daffs and hyacinths, I dont plant mine until April, they are late summer flowering here. Do you keep them indoors in pots?
Thanks Mark
Aconites are deciduous woodland plants. They like a well drained soil full of leaf mould in semi-shade. Once they have finished they go dormant under the leaf cover of trees. The tree roots then remove any excess moisture from the soil so the bulbs are not sitting in wet soil.
As I think I have posted before, the seeds need to be taken off when still green and sown straight away.
Thank you all for your responses. I didn't realise that it might be a little early for scillas and chionodoxas to flower yet. I assumed that as I'd heard the term 'Glory of the Snow' that they'd bloom very early, with the hellebores!
I will try planting my new aconites in my woodland garden but the soil in several areas is rather heavy and clay-ridden, despite adding compost and leafmould. I hope that this will improve over the years. I'll try and plant them in a 'lighter' area!
Berghill, I will look out for the variety you mention for the autumn.
Charlie, which anenomes do you have?
I covet anenome nemorosa for my little woodland garden but I'd have to spend shedloads to get a good patch of them!
Again, Anemone nemorosa is easy from green seed, sown fresh.