Flower · Amaryllidaceae
When to sow nerines
Pink flowers on bare stems in autumn, often opening after the first frosts when the garden has otherwise finished. The leaves arrive afterwards and stay through winter.
First worthwhile crop
Year 2
After planting, not after sowing.
Hardy in USDA zones
8a to 10a
Winter cold sets the limit here, not the calendar.
Frost tolerance
Half hardy
How much cold the plant itself will take.
Those weeks become real dates once you name a place.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
Nothing about a standing crop is sown to a calendar. Once planted, nerines stay in the ground for years, so the question is not when to sow but whether your winter is survivable and your planting window is open. Both answers come from your frost dates.
- Expect a first worthwhile crop in year 2 after planting.
- Hardy in USDA zones 8a–10a.
Getting the timing right
Plant in late summer or spring with the neck of the bulb at or just above the soil surface - planted deep it grows leaves and never flowers. Wants the hottest driest spot available, ideally against a south wall, and should be left undisturbed for years.
Frost tolerance
Hardy to about -8C at the root, and the flowers themselves take a light autumn frost. It is summer baking rather than winter protection that determines whether it flowers, so a cool damp site fails even in a mild zone.
Classified as half-hardy, with damage expected below -8°C (17.6°F)17.6°F (-8°C).