Lily love,
Here's some information I sent to a DGer a year ago.
Some cultural notes on Gloriosa rothschildiana -
I usually grow mine in very large containers (14 to 20" +).
I place the tubers (which are often shaped like fingers, legs, or L's) 2 inches below the top of the soil, they are placed horizontally with an inch or two apart, 3 to 6 per container. If using pots or containers, its a good idea to have a trellis in place so as not to accidently pierce one when soil covered later. They can grow upward (by tendrils at leaf's ends) up to 8 feet per season. It's essential to provide a support for them to grow upward on. The soil must be free draining (adding some sand usually helps). For most of my containers I put a couple inches of styrofoam peanuts in the bottom (this keeps the weight more manageable and helps drainage). Mine usually bloom through the whole summer season.When they decline by fall, taper off watering. I move mine to the basement for overwinter storage. If utilizing large pots, they maybe be left dry in the pots till spring when it is recommended they be re-potted. When tapped out of their old pot an amazing juxtapositioning has often occurred in that the tubers migrate from the horizontal plane to become vertical.
I usually fertilize them with liquid MiracleGrow every 2 to 3 weeks.
One can ascertain when they'll come out of their dormancy by observing the tuber tips, they take on a pinkish coloration. At this point it is usually easier to establish which side goes up when planting for a rudimentary eye becomes visible and points upward. The basement here maintains a fairly constant average temperature around 60 degrees.
When grown outside they prefer night temps 60 - 70 degrees but can tolerate down to 50 degrees. Preferred day temps are 75 degrees or higher with high humidity (typical midwest climate).
They can also be grown as houseplants or in the ground summer plants.
At season's end or next season's beginning when extracting them from their habitat it is easy to break them. If that happens be not overly alarmed as usaully each separate leg will bloom any way.
Regarding the soil- I usually use regular Miracle Grow.
Nice spring pic of vine. I've not tried the spring-blooming type.
Fall Clematis
Jmorth;
Thank you, for sharing the much needed info. on Glory lilies. I'll follow instruction and proceed with the planting. (I can't hardly wait). Many, many thanks once again. Armandii Clem. is easy care. They pretty much stay in bound, with occasional branches escape to the adjacent tall tree's branches for a peak of the sky. They seem to bloom best when they're in horizontal climb. They need a little guide at 1st. to go upward (due to the weight? of the many leaflets).
Redtoosipop; Remember to mulch the base of you vine thickly, but allow room for crown to "breath" Living mulch, such as low growing "moss" I found is best. It's pretty, it provide much shade of the root zone (for Clematis), and it prevent mildew or fungal invasion that may associate with heavy mulch. Good luck, and enjoy. :-)
Okay, I'm sorry if my question was confusing, I'm not asking about mulch. My armandii snowdrift & apple blossom have had excellent growth & bloom. But right now they are sticking their "arms" way up into the air (on top of the fence) ... do you attach their arms to the fence? How do I get them to quit waving and follow the fence line? Thank you very much for your help - I see yours has grown along the fence; also I have a wood fence, perhaps I need to put some netting across the top so they have something to grab.
Redtootsiepop; They typically will reach upward toward sunlight. My arbor is about nine feet tall, that seemed to satisfied its crave for reaching upward. Though, I've seen several long strands reaching beyond its bound. To avoid over crowding my already thick arbor, I'll have to prune these back, or root them after they've finished blooming. I hope these help?
Addendum; If your clematis are on a wooden fence that's at eye-level. By all mean, weave/train them to that height for a close up enjoyment. When I first planted my Armandii, yes, I did have to climb up the ladder to tie the shoot along the horizontal plane. This pic was in 2005. :-)
Perfect Lily_love - this is just what I needed to know - our fence is about 7 feet high and I would definitely like it to follow the fence line, a bit at least, so I will tie these guys down for a bit. Especially snowdrift is reaching waaaay out and it is getting set to grab my weeping cherry tree! Thank you so much!