Asphodel: planting, growing, and maintaining

Description and Botany

Asphodels comprise around twenty herbaceous perennial plants, mainly Mediterranean. They are found in Europe, North Africa, and as far as the Himalayas. They primarily grow on rocky soils, in meadows, heaths, scrublands, open woods, and along paths. The Asphodel is a protected plant, and despite its roots and young shoots being edible, it is illegal to collect it from the wild.

The Asphodel is a pyrophytic plant, favoured by fire. Its aerial parts can be burned, but its tubers will thrive again after a fire. It is a pioneering plant and remarkably resilient. They withstand fire, sea spray, drought, cold… nothing daunts them! Moreover, they have a long lifespan.

Asphodels were classified in the family Liliaceae, then in Asphodelaceae. Currently, recent classifications place them in the Xanthorrhoeaceae family. This family also includes other plants cultivated for their ornamental value, such as Aloes, Eremurus, Daylilies, Kniphofias, and Phormiums.

In French, the Asphodel is nicknamed White stick or Royal stick.

Asphodelus ramosus: Botanical illustration

In Greek mythology, the Asphodel is a plant associated with death and the Underworld. It is known to cover a meadow where souls reside after death, called the Asphodel Meadow. This explains an ancient custom of planting Asphodels near the graves of the deceased.

Asphodelines are a group of plants very close to Asphodels: however, their flowers are yellow, and their stems bear leaves, unlike Asphodels, which have white flowers and bare stems.

The Asphodel appears in late winter – early spring, producing a dense tuft of basal leaves, from which a thick, upright stem emerges, reaching up to 1.50 m in height during flowering. Thus, the Asphodel is an imposing perennial, although there are also much smaller species, such as Asphodelus acaulis, which bears its flowers at ground level and does not exceed 15 cm in height.

The Asphodel flowers in spring, usually between April and June-July. The flowering lasts one to two months. Generally, Asphodels do not flower every year, but rather every other year. They are appreciated for their particularly graphic and elegant flowering.

Asphodels display stunning spikes that bear dense clusters of flowers. The flowers bloom successively, from the bottom to the top. The Branched Asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus) is distinguished by its highly branched flower spikes: a single stem bears several inflorescences.

The flowers of Asphodels are star-shaped and white, sometimes slightly pink. They measure about 4 cm in diameter and consist of six tepals, which are actually three petals and three undifferentiated sepals, of the same shape and colour! These petals are marked with a central stripe, brown or green. In the centre, six long stamens can be seen, which bear orange anthers at their tips. The stamens are very decorative, adding a light and feathery effect!

The flowering of the Asphodeline resembles that of the Asphodels in shape, except that its flowers are bright yellow.

The flowering of the Asphodel is highly melliferous: it attracts pollinating insects and bees. It produces a very sweet honey.

The flowering of the Branched Asphodel (photo Yuvalr), of Asphodelus albus (photo Traumrune), and detail of the flowers of A. ramosus (photo miguel)

The leaves of the Asphodel are arranged in a basal rosette (there are no leaves on the stems). They are thin, linear, and pointed at the tip. They can measure up to 60 cm in length. The leaves are thick and leathery, with a bluish-green colour. The foliage of the Asphodel dries and disappears in summer, as soon as the plant has finished flowering.

The leaves of the Asphodeline are even narrower than those of the Asphodel. They form a rosette but are also arranged along the flower stems!

The Asphodel produces numerous fleshy tuberous roots, resembling a bunch of radishes. They renew gradually, as the plant produces new ones each year. These tubers allow it to store reserves. They are also edible.

After being pollinated, the flowers give way to rounded fruits (capsules), which can be green or orange and resemble cherries. When ripe, these fruits release the seeds they contain, allowing the plant to reseed naturally.

Once it has produced seeds, the Asphodel enters dormancy, and reappears only in autumn (for Asphodelus ramosus) or early spring (A. albus).

The fruits of Asphodelus ramosus (photo Xemenendura) and the dry capsules and seeds of A. albus (photo Roger Culos – Museum de Toulouse)

The main varieties of Asphodels

The most popular varieties

Asphodelus albus

This is the most commonly cultivated Asphodel! In spring, an upright flower stem emerges from the rosette of leaves, giving rise to a stunning inflorescence made up of star-shaped, white flowers with petals marked by a central striation. It is very graphic.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1,25 m

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Asphodelus ramosus

The distinctive feature of this Asphodel is its highly ramified inflorescence. The main stem divides, giving rise to several flower spikes. Its leaves are grey-blue.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1 m

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Asphodeline lutea - Jacob's Rod

Asphodeline is a plant very close to Asphodels. In spring, it bears large flower spikes made up of star-shaped yellow flowers. It also offers very fine, grey-blue leaves. It is commonly known as Jacob's Staff.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 80 cm

See the full description

Planting Asphodel

Where to Plant Asphodel?

Once established, Asphodels do not like to be transplanted, which is why it is best to choose their location carefully from the start. We recommend planting Asphodel in full sun! It needs a warm and very bright spot. Choose an open area: avoid placing it near trees or bushes. It prefers well-drained, rather dry soils and dislikes areas where water tends to stagnate. It grows quite well in sandy or rocky soils. Regarding pH, it enjoys calcareous substrates but can also thrive in acidic soil.

The Asphodel will be perfect in a sunny border, in a rock garden, or in a dry, mineral garden… You can place it in a seaside garden, as it tolerates sandy soils and sea spray! In fact, it is a plant naturally found around the Mediterranean basin.

Asphodeline has very similar growing conditions: it also enjoys full sun and well-drained, fairly dry soils.

When to Plant?

We recommend planting Asphodel in autumn or spring, avoiding frost periods.

How to Plant?

Feel free to install several plants to achieve a beautiful mass effect from the first year.

1. Prepare the soil and dig a sufficiently deep planting hole.
2. You can mix some coarse sand or gravel into the planting soil to improve drainage.
3. Remove the Asphodel from its pot and plant it, ensuring that you do not bury the collar (the transition zone between the roots and the stem).
4. Replace the soil all around and gently firm it down.
5. Water generously.

You can continue to water in the weeks following planting.

Asphodelus albus (photo Ragnhild & Neil Crawford)

Entretien

We advise you to water after planting and during the first year, especially in case of drought. Afterwards, the Asphodel will no longer need watering.

Once established, the Asphodel requires almost no maintenance: it is drought and cold resistant, does not need fertiliser, and is rarely affected by diseases or pests.

After flowering, you can leave the faded flowers in place to allow them to produce fruits and seeds, enabling them to self-seed in your garden. Additionally, the fruiting bodies are relatively decorative. Of course, if you wish to avoid spontaneous sowing, it is better to cut the stems as soon as flowering is finished!

Multiplication

We recommend propagating Asphodel by division, as this technique is simpler and quicker than sowing. Sometimes, Asphodel self-seeds. In this case, you just need to collect the young shoots that arise from these spontaneous sowings.

Tuft Division

Wait until the plant has been established for at least three years before you start dividing the tufts. This technique is suitable for Asphodel as well as for Asphodeline.

We advise intervening at the end of winter, around March, when Asphodel reappears, but it is also possible to do this in early autumn, after flowering. Choose generous and well-developed tufts, then dig them up, ensuring you excavate wide enough not to damage the root system. Separate them into several segments, making sure to retain enough roots each time. Prepare the ground and replant immediately in a new location, then water.

Sowing

Asphodel seeds are sown in early spring. For better results, we recommend placing the seeds in the refrigerator for three weeks to a month beforehand to break dormancy (vernalisation).

1. Prepare a pot with well-draining substrate, such as a mix of potting soil and sand.
2. Sow the seeds by scattering them on the surface.
3. Cover with a thin layer of substrate.
4. Water gently.
5. Place the pot under a cold frame, in a bright location but out of direct sunlight.
6. Transplant into individual pots as soon as the young plants are large enough to handle.
7. You can plant the young plants in the garden in autumn or the following spring.

Associate Asphodel with the garden

You can enjoy Asphodel to create a chic and minimalist white border. Pair it with the carnation Dianthus deltoides ‘Albiflorus, the spherical inflorescences of Allium ‘Mount Everest’, the starry flowers of Phlox subulata ‘White Delight’, or those of Geranium maculatum ‘Album’. The Eremurus himalaicus will also find its place alongside them: its upright flower spikes will resemble those of Asphodel while adding a touch of diversity. You can also introduce climbing plants, such as the stunning clematis ‘White Pearl’. Don’t hesitate to incorporate silver foliage, such as that of wormwoods or Stachys byzantina. You will create an original garden that feels timeless.

Enjoy Asphodel to create a chic and timeless white garden! Asphodelus albus (photo Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz), Dianthus deltoides ‘Albiflorus’, Allium stipitatum ‘Mount Everest’, Geranium maculatum ‘Album’ and clematis ‘Baby Star’

Asphodels seem made to fit into a naturalistic, rustic garden… Especially since they are beneficial to biodiversity, as their flowers attract pollinating insects! We particularly recommend Asphodelus ramosus, which bears branched flower spikes. To accompany it, favour plants with a very flexible habit and airy or ethereal blooms. You can pair them with Aster alpinus, sage ‘Caradonna’, yarrow, viper’s bugloss Echium vulgare, or Lychnis viscaria ‘Plena’. In this type of garden, also give plenty of space to grasses: these wild herbs with very fine leaves and spike flowers will sway freely in the wind. We recommend, for example, Calamagrostis, Chinese fountain grass, and Stipa pennata.

Asphodels seem destined for dry and Mediterranean gardens. These large perennials thrive in sunny, well-drained soils, making them perfectly suited. Pair them with plants that are not afraid of drought or sandy or rocky soils, such as euphorbias, cistus, lavenders, perovskia, yarrow, and evening primroses.