Nomocharis aperta

GRACE LILY

Nomocharis aperta
GRACE LILY

Nomocharis aperta posseses some of the most beautiful flowers in all the wonderous world of bulbs.
Because the blooms are large, ranging from pink to rosy purple.
Each with dark cheetah spotting, and a dark blotch on the base of each petal.

Stunningly lovely blooms with dark cheetah spotting

The name Nomocharis means ‘Meadow Grace’, and this lovely bulb is commonly called the Grace Lily for good reason.

Bulb for areas with summer humidity

Nomocharis aperta hails from areas in China with cold dry winters followed by summer rainfall and humidity.
Hence Nomocharis are summer blooming bulbs with stunningly beautiful flowers.
It seems they are highly attractive to moths who do the job of pollination.

Treasure for shaded areas

Nomocharis aperta is best grown in Partial Shade in most areas. Because it is by nature a plant of woodland conditions.
Though it can take Full Sun in cool districts.
So the Grace Lily enjoys deep, acidic, moisture retentive soil with plenty of humous, compost and leaf mould. But also with good drainage, so you might like to add a little coarse gravel if your soils is too heavy.
Nomoacharis bulbs also enjoy having a mulch cover applied in spring.
Which helps to keep the soil moist but not wet through the growing and flowering period of summer.

Frost hardy

Nomocharis aperta bulbs also enjoys a cold winter, with some frosts to encourage strong summer flowering.
They can comfortably sail through frost down to at least -15C.
But do not disturb the bulbs once you have them established in the garden.
Because they resent being dug up and are very happy to be quietly left to multiply and grow bigger and better each year.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: Nomocharis aperta 

Sow in punnets indoors during autumn or winter.

INDOORS: First sow the seeds on their sides, in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then just barely sprinkle the seeds with grit/sieved mix/or sand.
And do not cover, because these seeds need light to germinate.

Now keep the punnet moist in a cool, well-lit position for 4 weeks (without any direct sunlight).
Because these germinate best at lower temperatures, and higher temperatures can inhibit and slow germination. Temperatures of 10-14C are recommended for most rapid and optimum germination.
Then seeds usually sprout in 30 days.

However if the seeds are shy to germinate after 3 to 4 weeks, then they require a period of chilling to break their natural dormancy.
So wrap the sown, moist punnet in cling wrap or a plastic bag and place in fridge (not freezer) for 3 weeks.

After the period of chilling, remove the punnet from the fridge, unwrap & place again in a cool, well-lit position at 10-14°C, away from direct sunlight.
But patience – do not discard punnet, as some seedlings may come later than others, and this is a normal safety strategy for this plant.

SEED COUNT: 3 large seeds per pack. (Seeds of this exceptional plant are rare).

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