NERINE. South Africa. These are beautiful, easily cultivated relatives of Amaryllis, ideal for pot culture. They have bulbs of various sizes, producing strap shaped to nearly thread-like leaves. Narrow-petalled blossoms painted white to crimson or scarlet are presented in umbrella shaped clusters above the foliage, mostly in summer and fall. The following have various blooming and growing seasons, and thus watering schedules. Sun or light shade, reasonably well drained soil, moderate watering while in leaf and flower, little or none while dormant. Hardiness varies.
bowdenii. A robust species, with shiny 1’ strap shaped leaves appearing in early spring. Pink blossoms up to 3" across are displayed on 1-2’ stems, in fall. ‘Wayne’s Rose’ is a particularly floriferous, dark-flowered individual received from extraordinary plantsman and friend Wayne Roderick. Winter dormant. 15oF. or less.
filamentosa, filifolia, masonorum. These are grouped together here because of their profusely clumping habit and nearly evergreen, thread-like leaves. All bloom in late summer and fall, displaying wavy-margined blossoms shaded pale to dark pink. N. filamentosa has the tallest stems (up to 1') and largest (to nearly 2") though fewest flowers. N. filifolia has shorter, more numerous stems and 1" to 1½" blossoms. N. masonorum produces an incredible abundance of still smaller (under 1") blossoms on 6-8" stems. They should be kept moist from early spring to late fall, decidedly less so (though not bone-dry) in the winter. Around 15oF.
sarniensis and its hybrids. Guernsey lily. This is a varied and spectacular group. The leaves are narrowly to broadly strap shaped, usually 8-12" long and dark green to bluish green in color. After a summer dormancy the flowers appear, several on each sturdy 1-2’ stem, in early fall. They are individually 2-3" broad, with wavy-edged segments. Colors range from pure white to scarlet or crimson, always with a crystalline glitter. Among our many selections are the variety rosea, with blossoms of deep rose pink; what appears to be ‘Corusca Major’, with brilliant orange-scarlet blossoms; ‘Chorister’, with tall stems, broad umbels and brilliant scarlet flowers; ‘Miss France Clarke’, with vivid purplish red blossoms; and several of our own selections. These include ‘Brilliant’, with sparkling, deep rose pink blossoms, ‘Eos’, with similarly colored flowers on taller stems, also with larger, notably deep green leaves; ‘Pink Satin’ with silvery pink flowers, and ‘Salmon Beauty’, with salmon pink shading. The most recent is ‘Old Rose’, a particularly prolific plant with deep, purplish rose-colored flowers. There are few bulbs so rewarding of minimal cultural effort. They can go completely dry during the summer. Probably hardy to 20-25oF. I would recommend protection in winter, since this is their season of rapid growth.