Steve built a storage building behind our house this summer, then he came in and announced that it needed some landscape work done around it.-----OK---- "What do you want?" Well, he answered with about 5 different ideas, none of which actually went together or would survive in that full sun, all-day area. "Do you want shrubs or flowering plants?" -- "Yes" --- "Who will be caring for this area?" --- (Dead air) --- "How much do YOU want to spend?" --- (Again dead air)
I'm sure we have all had this conversation at some point. So, I took him outside to where I had moved a few plants around and said, "These are busting out of their pots and will go nicely there if you like them. I see no reason to buy any plants right now." Now, it was 2 - 14x14 inch pots with 1 dwarf and 1 regular sized mass of plants that he was looking at and wondering if I had lost my mind. I assured him that I could make these 2 pots go all the way around said building if he would break out the rototiller and work up the soil.
The picture below is what the dwarf plant looked like when I took it out of the pot. I didn't have enough presence of mind to take a picture of the other plant, but let me tell you that there was absolutely NO soil left in that pot, just a mass of roots!
photos by Jenni Dodini
This is what the same plant/plants looked like when I started separating them so I could plant them. The regular size plant was separated into 9 and planted across the back of the building. And this bunch separated into 16 plants!
As of this typing, they were alive and starting to look good, or at least like they would stay alive.
Just a little basic info in case you need a refresher. The common name is Lily of the Nile, however, it is not of the lily family and it is not native to the Nile area. It is the only genus in the subfamily of the Amaryllidaceae family. There are several varieties of white and blue flowering plants in dwarf sizes to plants that grow flowers on stems up to 5 feet tall. They like full sun to part shade and bloom from June through August. They are perennial and some are deciduous. They are native to South Africa and do well in USDA zones 7-11. They do well in our winters here. They also do well in pots but are most frequently seen in groups or as borders in low maintenance landscaping. They are heavy feeders, but like balanced fertilizer like 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 worked well into the soil and to be planted in well-composted soil. They only need to be divided around every 5 years and actually like to be root bound. To divide them, dig them up and clean away all the dead stuff and trim them back. Cut them apart with a very sharp, clean knife and plant them into the prepared area and water well. They like regular watering with time to dry out in between and well-draining soil, so you may need to work in amendments if you have heavy clay soil in your yard. Put mulch around them, and you will have to do very little else.
This is what the same plant/plants looked like when I started separating them so I could plant them. The regular size plant was separated into 9 and planted across the back of the building. And this bunch separated into 16 plants! 