Nerines and amarines and how to grow them

By Klaudia Mihalova

Published: Thursday, 01 September 2022 at 12:00 am

Kitty de Jong owns a wholesale production nursery and breeding centre in the Netherlands, specialising in nerines and amarines. The South African nerine bulbs flower later than tulips, daffodils and alliums, so provide a pop of colour to dull autumn days.

Breeding nerines takes patience. Thousands of seeds are sown and the plants are grown for three to four years before a flower is formed. Producing enough bulbs to sell to gardeners is equally laborious. As a grower, Kitty is fascinated by the botany of the plant.

“If you cut a bulb of Nerine bowedenii in half you can see two or even three embryonic flower buds,” she says. These develop sequentially, starting with the largest bud, over the forthcoming years. “I think this is the only bulbous plant that has this. It means there are several years’ flowers inside a single bulb. This adds to the magic.”

More on bulbs

Here Kitty shares her advice for cultivating nerines and amarines so you can ensure their longevity.

How to plant nerines

Nerine bowdenii and amarines are hardy in sunny situations in well-drained soil. To flower well the bulbs need to be baked during the summer, so avoid planting them where they will be overshadowed by other plants. Plant the bulbs just below the surface of the soil in large clumps. In cold areas mulch them after they have finished flowering to give extra protection during wet and cold winters.

During the first year after planting, nerines can be shy to flower. Be patient: as soon as they have settled in they should produce lots of flowers. The bulbs hate being disturbed, so once you have planted them avoid moving the bulbs until they are so congested that they stop flowering.

Nerines and amarines love pots and, if you live in a cold and wet region, this is the best way to grow them. Use a loam-based compost with about 20 per cent horticultural grit and plant the bulbs with their noses peeking above the surface of the soil. Water lots when the plant starts into growth but keep dry when finished flowering and store away from frosts. Bulbs flower best crowded tightly together, so don’t be too eager to split the bulbs – once every four or five years is sufficient.