Evergreen
Evergreen
Grow in a pot from the start in all but the mildest gardens, so it can be moved under cover for winter.
Care
Sheltered.
Medium in growth, drier during winter rest.
Fertile, well-drained soil, or peat-free compost in pots; flowers best when a little pot-bound.
Deadhead spent flower stems at the base; remove only dead or damaged leaves, and don't cut back the evergreen foliage.
A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks from when the flower stems appear until flowering ends — tomato feed is the standard choice. Nitrogen-rich feeds give a fine pot of leaves and no flowers at all.
Divide in spring, just as growth restarts, cutting the fleshy crown into pieces with several shoots each. Expect a season or two without flowers afterwards: this is a plant that flowers best when its roots are crowded.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- JuneFeed regularly through the flowering season. how ›
- AugustDeadhead spent flower stems at the base. how ›
- NovemberMove potted plants under cover for winter — not reliably hardy outside in this reference climate. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- JuneFeed regularly through the flowering season. how ›
- AugustDeadhead spent flower stems at the base. how ›
- NovemberMove potted plants under cover for winter — not reliably hardy outside in this reference climate. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MayFeed regularly through the flowering season. how ›
- AugustDeadhead spent flower stems at the base. how ›
- DecemberMove potted plants under cover for winter — not reliably hardy outside in this reference climate. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MayFeed regularly through the flowering season. how ›
- AugustDeadhead spent flower stems at the base. how ›
- DecemberMove potted plants under cover for winter — not reliably hardy outside in this reference climate. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. If left outside in cold winters.
What to do. Move under cover, or protect with a thick, dry mulch in mild sheltered gardens only.
How to spot it. On young shoots.
What to do. Protect emerging growth.
How to spot it. On plants overwintering under glass.
What to do. Treat if heavy.
Deciduous
Deciduous
Mulch thickly over the crown for the first two winters while the clump builds its full hardiness.
Care
Sheltered.
Medium in growth, drier during winter dormancy.
Fertile, well-drained soil.
Cut back dying foliage in autumn once it has died back naturally; deadhead spent flower stems.
Same regime as the evergreen types — high potash from the appearance of the flower stems to the end of flowering — but stop earlier in the ground, so the crown goes into winter hard rather than soft.
Divide in spring as the new leaves show. Seed is possible and these come reasonably true, but a seedling takes three or four years to reach flowering size.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- JuneFeed regularly through the flowering season. how ›
- AugustDeadhead spent flower stems at the base. how ›
- NovemberMulch thickly over the crown for winter protection, especially in the first few years. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- JuneFeed regularly through the flowering season. how ›
- AugustDeadhead spent flower stems at the base. how ›
- NovemberMulch thickly over the crown for winter protection, especially in the first few years. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. On young shoots.
What to do. Protect emerging growth.
How to spot it. In a severe winter without mulch protection.
What to do. Mulch thickly over the crown.
How to spot it. Less common outdoors than on evergreen types under glass.
What to do. Treat if noticed.
Popular varieties
Questions
African lily: is it hardy?
Evergreen: H2: Tender. It survives down to 1 °C. Deciduous: H4: Hardy through an average UK winter. It survives down to −10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Evergreen: Flowers best when a little pot-bound, which also makes winter protection far easier. Deciduous: Hardier than the evergreen group and more suited to permanent open-ground planting.
African lily: when do you prune it?
Evergreen: Deadhead spent flower stems at the base; remove only dead or damaged leaves, and don't cut back the evergreen foliage. Deciduous: Cut back dying foliage in autumn once it has died back naturally; deadhead spent flower stems.
African lily: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in July–August.
When do you feed it?
Evergreen: A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks from when the flower stems appear until flowering ends — tomato feed is the standard choice. Nitrogen-rich feeds give a fine pot of leaves and no flowers at all. Feeding months, UK: May–July. Deciduous: Same regime as the evergreen types — high potash from the appearance of the flower stems to the end of flowering — but stop earlier in the ground, so the crown goes into winter hard rather than soft. Feeding months, UK: May–July.