Nerine bowdenii Bianca Perla

<strong>Nerines are commonly called 'Guernsey lily'. </strong>This name is linked to their accidental establishment on Guernsey following the wreck of a Dutch ship carrying bulbs of <em>Nerine sarniensis</em>. <strong>Nerine bulbs are grown</strong> for the beauty and quality of their delicately sculpted flowers, which are used both <strong>to adorn the garden</strong> and <strong>as cut flowers</strong>. <strong>Nerines somewhat resemble agapanthus flowers with their</strong> <strong>sturdy stems that bear at their summit a large umbel of slender trumpet-shaped flowers</strong>. The waxy petals, more or less ribbon-like and twisted, display pearly pink tones in <em>Nerine bodwenii</em>, the hardiest species, but there are white forms such as <em>Nerine flexuosa</em> ‘Alba’ and vivid red in <em>Nerine sarniensis</em>. When planted en masse along a path, <strong>the effect of this flowering borne on neat vertical stems is truly spectacular</strong>, especially in autumn when bulb flowers are rather scarce. The flowering of Nerines occurs in spring in their native country. It is preceded by a dormancy period during the winter, quite dry in western Africa, which for us corresponds to summer. However, the evergreen species from eastern South Africa such as <em>Nerine undulata</em> retain their strap-like foliage and do not really have a dormancy period given the steady climate and consistently positive temperatures of that subtropical region. <strong>Nerines are easy-to-grow plants in mild Mediterranean climates or where oceanic influence prevails</strong>. You can also grow them in pots to protect them from severe frosts. Most tolerate temperatures between -3 and -5°C, except <em>Nerine bodwenii</em>, the most common, which tolerates between -10°C and -12°C in well-drained soil. Most require a dry summer to observe their dormancy. <strong>Plant them in a sunny spot sheltered from cold winds.</strong>