1923 Montbretia cultivation Earlham Hall

The Gardeners Chronicle, p105 February 24, 1923

“CULTURAL MEMORANDUM. MONTBRETIAS. Were the corms of Montbretia have been wintered in a cold frame, as is practised by some growers, they should now _ be separated and replanted in their flowering quarter, having previously well dug and en- riched the ground. Clumps of Montbretias that have grown undisturbed in the same place year after year should also be lifted and divided, A sunny situation suits this decorative plant best, but it is not fastidious in this respect, and other sites will give good results. Non- flowering corms should be planted elsewhere, to develop into flowering specimens. C. 7’.

The Gardeners Chronicle, p166 March 23, 1923

The Culture of Montbretias.—The advice given on page 105 by C. T., under ‘“ Cultural Memorandum ”’ for Montbretias, does not agree with our practice. He suggests that Montbretias stored in cold frames should be separated and planted out in their flowering quarters. Our method is to replant in the frames or boxes after separation, and plant out at the end of April or the beginning of May. We grow tens of thousands annually and we find Montbretias are not very hardy. Our practice is to separate the clumps and keep only the stolons or young growths which are given off from last year’s tlowering corms. These give far better results, as the flowers are larger and of better colour. As for the method of growing non-flowering eorms for another season, it is not worth the trouble. We have found the flowers from old corms much inferior to those produced by growing on the young stolons. We also find that Montbretias are not satisfactory when grown in full shade. J. H. Fitt, Earlham Hall Gardens.

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-- RobertBobPries - 22 Sep 2023