Nerine Flower Meaning: Looking Forward to Meeting Again

Nerine plants grow 20 to 50 cm tall and have tunicated bulbs. The leaves are basal, strap-shaped, and emerge after flowering. The umbel inflorescence is borne at the top of a solid scape. The scape is 60-75 cm long and many-flowered. The corolla is pale scarlet, funnel-shaped, about 4.5 cm long, with 6 slightly wavy lobes that curl outward at the tips.

The flowers are 3 to 8 cm in size. The stamens are bright red and extend straight beyond the flower. The top of the stem bears 10 to 20 flowers. There are very many cultivars, and the flower forms are also richly varied. There are pale orange, rose red, bright red and other cultivars.

Half-hardy. It prefers mild, sunny conditions and well-drained soil. It does not tolerate moist, high temperatures. It is a cool greenhouse spring-flowering plant; pot it in August, and the potting soil must be rich in fibrous material. It does not need repotting every year, and plants left in their pots flower well. When planted outdoors in early spring, it must be covered to protect it from the cold.

In warm regions it is used in open-ground flower borders, and it can also be grown in pots. Hybrids have become an important new type of winter and spring cut flower.

Because its petals have a metallic sheen and sparkle in the sun, it also has the alternative name diamond lily. The flowering period is from September to November.

Propagation method: propagation by dividing bulbs. The seeds are fleshy and resemble small bulbs; seedlings raised from seed are often variable.