When I chose to buy bulbs of Nerine filamentosa, I was wooed by the catalogue description of flowers so delightful that one might imagine they were sent from heaven. How easily seduced am I? Three bulbs duly arrived in spring. I noted they were much smaller than those of other nerines and wondered if I had made a mistake: the bulbs were not inexpensive. I potted them carefully in gritty compost and kept them warm and toasty in the greenhouse over summer. Up sprung three tufts of thread-like leaves, closely resembling weedy grass. My precious nerines looked generally unpromising, as so many bulbs do when out of flower.
A couple of weeks ago, slim buds started to emerge on long, snakelike stems. With their fuzzy surface the flower ‘scapes’ appeared entirely unrelated to the smooth, shiny leaves. Each bulb produced one scape, and they stopped growing about at about 20cm high, exploding into umbels of a dozen or so clear pink flowers. The tepals recurve dramatically, recoiling gaily like a gymnasts’ ribbons, whilst stamens and stigma project proudly forward. The appearance of the flowers is part balletic, part oriental, but on the whole lovely to behold.
It turns out the catalogue description was pretty accurate. I should have more faith. N. filamentosa is a very pretty nerine. Petite, perhaps, but the thought of my bulbs clumping up and producing a more generous display in future is mouthwatering. TFG.
Categories: Bulbs, Container gardening, Daily Flower Candy, Flowers, Foliage, Photography, Plants
Very pretty indeed!
Thank you Julie. One of my other nerines is flowering now and is almost 60cm tall. Dwarfs this little one.
Yes, I like it! Quite a character!
Lovely!
beautiful – reminds me that your autumn is on the way….
It certainly is. I’ve been testing the heating out to make sure it’s working for winter 🙁
Absolutely beautiful
Thanks for a descriptive post and great photos.I bought a mixed pack of Nerines in early May, they’re from Suttons, and planted them straight away in a small trough at the bottom of a south facing wall. They’re coming up now, some flower spikes but no flowers as yet. I regret buying a mixed bag, always do but never learn, still I’m looking forward to the blooms.
They will be marvellous I am sure. I don’t go in for mixed bulbs as a rule – I’m far too controlling – but I like the idea of the surprise and spontaneity.
I love those long dark elegant buds from which the springy zingy petals are such a surprise
They are. They look a bit like lemon zest don’t they? Only pink!
So lovely and worth the wait. I was just congratulating myself this year as my Nerine bowdenii have flower buds for the first time, they had better not be over by the time I get back from visiting my mum. And regarding autumn, we have lit our wood-burning stove each night for the past week and a bit.
Gorgeous! I had faith, even if you didn’t. 🙂