How do I grow pineapple lilies?
Q I’dlove to grow pineapple lilies – are they easy to cultivate?
John Wilde, Gloucester
A Pineapple lily is the common name of a lovely bulb called Eucomis. It is in the lily family and each bulb produces a rosette of strap-shaped leaves and a dense spike of starry flowers topped by a tuft of small leafy bracts – which is how it got its common name.
Eucomis bicolor flowers in autumn and has flowers of the palest green. Other species include E. autumnalis (pale-greenish flowers), E. Comosa (white and purple flowers) and E. Pallidiflora (greenish-white flowers).
Pineapple lilies are easy to grow. They can be planted in spring or autumn, setting the bulbs 4-6in (10-16cm) deep. They prefer fertile, free-draining soil or compost in a sunny, sheltered spot – like the base of a south or west-facing wall.
It should be possible to leave bulbs in the ground over winter as they are fairly hardy, though it depends how sheltered your garden is. You can cover the planting area with a mound of peat or bracken between November and March to keep the soil a bit warmer. If you are worried they may not survive, lift them in autumn and
