Gloriosa superba seeds – ( Flame Lily, Glory Lily)

Description

This attractive plant has striking orange and yellow flowers, with slightly crinkled  edges, which look a little like a large and brightly coloured butterfly. They  are not very commonly grown  plants , and always draw the eye with their exotic and unusual flower shape . The flowers are excellent cut, and last a long time in the vase.  In the spring it sends up shoots from soft tubers , which like to cling to available supports and it will climb to a maximum of about 4m , though this depends on the location and soil that it is planted in. Its leaves have small tendrils on their ends to assist with climbing. All of the plant is posionous to humans, and in particular the root.

Plants should be given a liquid fertiliser every few weeks to promote good flowering.

The seeds take a little patience to grow , often taking up  to 4 months to germinate, and sometimes only about 50% will germinate. You won’t get flowering plants for a few  years, but if you are a patient gardener the wait is worth it

Note 10 seeds in packet

Sowing advice

Sow the seeds in pots or trays in moist seed raising mix, in early spring. Cover them to their own depth with mix.  Keep them warm and moist at about 20 deg C.  Their germination is  quite erratic and can take up to 4 months to appear.  Sometimes only about 50% sprout.  When they are large enough to handle and the temperatures are about 18-20 deg C plant the seedlings outside in humus rich soil. Provide a trellis or  wire frame  for them to climb up.