Moving Jersey Lilies

QuestionsHow to growFlowersBulbsMoving Jersey Lilies
Kieran O\’Brien asked 15 years ago

We have quite a large established bed of Jersey lilies which are in full bloom at the moment. Unfortunately we are about to embark on an extension and need to move the flowerbed (starting on-site in 6-8 weeks approx). Construction will take around 12 months.Can we lift the bulbs (clean them off etc) and store in a cool shed for the next year or do we need to transplant? Most grateful for your advice as we would hate to lose the bulbs.

1 Answers

Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
There are two related plants that flower at the moment, the Jersey lily which is Amaryllis belldonna with large pink trumpets and the Guernsey lily, Nerine bowdenii, which small curlling petals. There is no trouble moving either. It is rare to see a large bed of amaryllis so you are probably talking about nerines.

In either case, the best thing to do is to open a shallow trench, about 7 cm deep in another part of the garden, such as a vegetable garden, in a sunny spot and lift and move the bulbs into that temporary trench. They can be placed touching each other. Then scatter some some loose soil or rotted compost over the bulbs to settle them. When the construction work is finished they can be moved back.

If you have no other space, get temporary lodgings for them in some other garden. 

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