Genealogy Forum UK

Any idea what's the best thing to do with them??

Leave them to die off naturally??

Chop the leaves off??

or

tie the leaves down and leave them to die off??

What do the councils do? Do they just mow the leaves down? Must take more notice when I'm out and about....

Leave them to die off naturally, chopping the leaves off or tying them up prevents nutrition from reaching the bulbs and allowing them to spread naturally.

Councils can afford to mow them off as they have teams of gardeners who can dig up non-productive bulbs and replace them on a regular basis.

When the flowers dead pluck it off and then a few weeks late pull the stem out!! Never fails with me!The flowers always bloom again the following spring.
You know i reckon i have what they call green fingers!!

Rob wrote:When the flowers dead pluck it off and then a few weeks late pull the stem out!! Never fails with me!The flowers always bloom again the following spring.

I 'd forgotten about the dead-heading, usually a good idea for any annually repeating flowering plant as you don't want the seeds to set. I understood that pulling the stem out before it naturally falls can cause damage to the top of the bulb into which water gets and causes rot, but if it works for you then go with it.

You know i reckon i have what they call green fingers!!

Then keep them out of the greengage jam.

It's also a good idea to give them some fertiliser while they're in flower, or failing that while the leaves are still green. That way the bulb gets to recharge it's batteries!

I agree with the others, don't tie them off, and leave the leaves to die back naturally. Dead heading will stop the plant wasting energy on seeds. (Although saying that I don't dead head my snow drops or scilla siberica as they spread a bit quicker, especially the scilla).

Dead heading!! That's the English word for it i'd forgotten!!
Also i never remove the stem at the same time i wait until its nearly rotted and then i remove it!!

I always deadhead mine, but Monty Don on " Gardener's World" the other night, said if you want them to spread, i.e under trees or in grass, to leave the flowers on as they will then seed and eventually form new bulbs.

Well i don't want my flowers to spread on my lawn as i have enough problems with moss but that's maybe a good tip from Monty Don(whoever he is). I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks margarett.

Rob wrote:Well i don't want my flowers to spread on my lawn as i have enough problems with moss but that's maybe a good tip from Monty Don(whoever he is). I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks margarett.

Even I know who Monty Don is!!! You've been away too long Rob
Bring back Alan is all I can say.

snoopysue wrote:

Rob wrote:Well i don't want my flowers to spread on my lawn as i have enough problems with moss but that's maybe a good tip from Monty Don(whoever he is). I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks margarett.

Even I know who Monty Don is!!! You've been away too long Rob
Bring back Alan is all I can say.

Who is Alan .

Annie

Annie wrote:

snoopysue wrote:

Rob wrote:Well i don't want my flowers to spread on my lawn as i have enough problems with moss but that's maybe a good tip from Monty Don(whoever he is). I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks margarett.

Even I know who Monty Don is!!! You've been away too long Rob
Bring back Alan is all I can say.

Who is Alan .

Annie

Titchmarsh of course

Oh SnoopySu How could I forget Who Alan is

Annie

Annie wrote::oops: Oh SnoopySu How could I forget Who Alan is

Annie

I love the way he is down to earth (no pun intended) and that you don't necessarily have to follow the rules.

Margarett wrote:I always deadhead mine, but Monty Don on " Gardener's World" the other night, said if you want them to spread, i.e under trees or in grass, to leave the flowers on as they will then seed and eventually form new bulbs.

Which is fine if you have a naturalised species, but if you have one of the bred forms the seeds won't come true. Also the seeds will take at least two years longer to produce flowers, if you dead head it encourages the bulb to produce bulblets (which come true) and flower much sooner.

Rob wrote:... Monty Don(whoever he is).

A television personality.