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Disappearing Anenomes
maureen60
Posts: 193
Good evening. Over the past few years I have been planting Anenomes corms, but few of them flower. Could it be due to squirrels? Should I plant them in pots instead of int he boarder? Any advice appreciated.
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Someone suggested using chicken wire around bulbs on here a while back.for the same reason .I tried it and it worked .
I find these do better if soaked overnight in cold water to rehydrate them. Then plant in a sunny spot or in a pot you can keep an eye on and protect from squirrels/slugs/snails as needed before transplanting to their final spot.
Squirrels, voles and mice get all sorts in my garden Maureen - crocus corms seem to be a particular delicacy
Slightly off the original topic I know - but I planted quite a lot of cyclamen corms last year but only about half have come up. They were mail order and some of them were a bit dry and withered when they arrived.
Do you think I should have hydrated those as you're talking about for the anenomes? There was no mention of doing that on the planting instructions and I haven't done it before for bulbs or corms. But, then again, I usually buy from a local nursery and pick big fat juicy looking specimens ...
Even after soaking anenome corms before planting, I find they can be reluctant to grow and hard to establish, especially on heavy soils. The advice given above to start them in pots and then plant out is sound and has worked well for me.
Topbird, if you collect the seeds from any of your cyclamen which came back, they are easy to grow and will soon look after themselves once established. I started with a packet of mixed hardy type seeds and now have them everywhere. I would only buy potted cyclamen plants and not corms due to the issues you mention.
Just make sure they are c.coum or c.hederifolium and you can't go far wrong.
Live & learn
Buying cyclamen corms can be dodgy - questions of provenance and also care because many are still ripped from the wild rather than cultivated. Best to do as Bob suggests and grow on your own babies or else buy them in flower as these are usually cultivated and clearly viable. I buy mine for hanging baskets and window boxes and then plant them out and they are increasing well.
I soak all corms that I buy and also small bulbs such as fritillaria meleagris which dry out easily. Dahlias too when I take them out of hibernation.