Planting, caring for, watering and more

Plant winterlings properly

On a mild autumn day in September or October, the planting of winter lumps begins by taking the tubers of the flower in a lukewarm water bath for a few hours. In the meantime, prepare the soil in the partially shaded, nutrient-rich and not too dry location. Thorough raking and weeding is the top priority, because the finer the substrate, the more vital the plant roots. So it goes on afterwards:

• Dig small planting holes 10-20 cm apart
• Enrich the excavation with compost and horn shavings
• Insert one bulb at a time about 5 cm deep and solidify the soil with your hands
• Water the planting site and cover it with compost or peat

Ideally, mark the location so that there is no accidental rake or dig here. Sprouting weeds are simply plucked out at this point. If the garden is plagued by voles, first sink a vole basket into the ground and only then plant the Eranthis hyemalis.

Care tips

The compact maintenance protocol from Winterlingen can be found on a single page of your notebook. How to properly treat the flower:

• Winterlings water when dry
• In normal Garden soil do not fertilize
• Apply a starter fertilizer in the form of compost in poor soil
• Light winter protection only required in the year of planting

So that the plant can reproduce by self-sowing, do not cut off the withered flower stalks until the ripe follicles have burst. The foliage remains on the rhizome until it is completely yellowed. During this time, the remaining nutrients migrate from the leaves into the tuber to serve as an energy reserve for the next season. Only then do you cut the leaves close to the ground.

Which location is suitable?

Assign Eranthis hyemalis to a shady to partially shaded location. Ideally, the bed is under deciduous trees that emerge late. In this position enough light reaches the flower during the flowering period. If the canopy later covers the location in shade, the plant does not care much because it has long since withdrawn.

The correct planting distance

If you choose a planting distance between 10 and 20 centimeters, the spring flower forms a dense carpet of flowers within a short time. At this distance, each plant has enough space for the rhizome to spread quickly in the ground and provide for offspring.

What soil does the plant need?

Eranthis hyemalis develops its optimum in nutrient-rich, humus-rich and freshly moist soil. Avoid a location with overly acidic soil, because in the worst case it will not bloom. A neighborhood to rhododendrons may appear attractive due to optical aspects; From a horticultural point of view, the proximity to a plant in an acidic substrate makes no sense. We recommend commercially available ones in the balcony box and tub Potting soil as a substrate, enriched with compost and horn shavings as well as a handful of leaf earth.

What is the best time to plant?

As a typical spring bloomer and classic tuber plant, Eranthis hyemalis would like to grow in the ground in autumn. Choose a mild day between late August and mid-October to plant the bulbs. Please consider the high toxicity of the rhizomes when you plant them in the ground.

When is the flowering time?

The flowering period of Eranthis hyemalis extends from February to March. If winter comes with moderate weather, you can look forward to the bright yellow flower heads and the bewitching scent in mild locations as early as January. Follow the race between Winterlingen and with your family snowdrop the first flower of the year and bet on this year's winner.

Cut winter lumps correctly

Immediately cut out the withered flowers, depriving the flower of its ability to sow itself. However, if self-propagation is not desired, only the flower stalks are cut out. The foliage is first drawn in by the rhizome by storing the remaining nutrients there as a reserve for the next season. Only when the leaves have yellowed do you cut them off close to the ground.

Watering winterlings

If the soil is too dry for winterlings, in the worst case they refuse to flower or end this year's flower festival. You should therefore water regularly when it is dry without causing waterlogging. Ideally, you should use tap water and collected rainwater alternately so that no excess limescale develops in the soil.

Fertilize winterlings properly

There are enough nutrients in the nutrient-rich garden soil for the Eranthis hyemalis to feed on. The administration of fertilizer, especially a nitrogen-rich preparation, could force the growth of the foliage while the flowering falls by the wayside. You should therefore only give a portion of compost in early spring as a starter fertilizer in the poor location.

Pests

Eranthis hyemalis is at the top of the voles menu. The insatiable pests care little about toxicity. So that the rodents do not mess about the juicy tubers, they should be planted in the vole basket. This is a close-meshed wire basket that you first sink into the planting hole in order to place the rhizomes in it.

Overwinter

A well-established winterling can withstand frost down to - 29 degrees Celsius. Light protection is only recommended in the year of planting. Therefore, cover the bed with compost, leaves or brushwood before the onset of winter. The protective layer is removed by the end of January at the latest so that the flower can develop unhindered. From the second year on, no special precautions are required in the bed. If you cultivate the flower in a small pot, it will stay in a dark, frost-free room through the winter. As soon as the temperature rises above zero, put the plant outdoors.

Propagate winterlings

So that winterlings develop a compact carpet of flowers in the shortest possible time, you can help the flower with the following propagation methods:

• After flowering, dig up the rhizome, cut off the tubers and plant them
• In April or May, collect the ripe fruits, harvest the seeds and sow them in the recommended location

While the division of the tubers is straightforward, they are within the scope of the sowing to take some precautions. Since the seeds are light germs, they must not be covered more than 0.5 centimeters with substrate. To prevent the seeds from ending up in the stomachs of pecking birds, it is essential to spread a close-meshed net over the bed.

How do I transplant properly?

If you order Eranthis hyemalis to be relocated, the best time to take the measure is immediately after flowering. Dig up the rhizome widely. The more soil that remains on the roots, the lower the stress level for the plant. Take this opportunity to take a look at the tuber. If small daughter bulbs thrive on it, cut them off and you will have several copies of the busy spring flower in your hands. Without a long wait, you can put the plant in the new place in fresh substrate, which is immediately poured on generously. The foliage should still remain on the plant until it is completely absorbed and yellowed.

Are winterlings poisonous?

Botanically, the flower is assigned to the buttercup family. This broad family of plants is one of the poisonous plants and requires careful handling. Store the tubers so that children and pets cannot touch them. Even in small quantities, consumption can lead to considerable health problems. Although the toxin content in the above-ground parts of the plant is lower than in the rhizome, gloves should be worn for all planting and care work.

Winterlings do not bloom

If the flower simply does not want to bloom, the suspicion arises that the tuber fell victim to voles. If there are no flower heads by the end of February, dig up the plant. If the suspicion is confirmed and the onion is nibbled, the pest is the first winner this year. So that it does not come into play again, plant fresh Winterling bulbs in the protection of a wire basket in autumn.

Which plant neighbors harmonize with winterlings?

The snowdrop is by no means the only flower that maintains good neighbors with winterlings. The following species and varieties easily join this graceful plant:

• Bush anemone (anemone nemorosa)
• crocus (Crocus)
• Snow shine (Chionodoxa forbesii)
• Snow crocus (crocus chrysanthus)
• Checkerboard flower (Fritillaria meleagris)

A combination with hostas has the advantage that withered winterlings from the magnificent foliage of the Decorative foliage plants are covered throughout the summer so that there are no unsightly gaps in the bed can.

Trivia

Millions of winterlings bloom every year in the mild winter Rautal near Jena and attract visitors in droves. More than 300 flowers per square meter can be admired on more than 5 hectares - and the number is increasing every year. Every year in February or March, the residents of the small village of Closewitz invite you to a hearty Winterling weekend to celebrate the little flower. Friends of the glowing yellow plant surround the area to have coffee and cake or a goulash soup in between strengthen.

Nice varieties

• Eranthis cilicica: Blooms in a darker golden yellow than Eranthis hyemalis and dresses with bronze-colored leaves
• Glory: Magnificent hybrid Eranthis x tubergeniana with extra fresh green leaves and light yellow flowers
• Guinea Gold: Glows yellow, like Glory, with picturesque contrast thanks to bronze-colored foliage
• Aurum: A hitherto largely unknown species from Siberia that blooms in pure white