RHS winecups
A small, cormous perennial with narrow, hairy, upright leaves up to 15cm long and clusters of funnel-shaped, purple-blue flowers with a rich red throat, in spring
0.1-0.5 metres
0.1-0.5 metres
| Season | Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | ||||
| Summer | ||||
| Autumn | ||||
| Winter |
Grow under glass from corms planted in free-draining, peat-free, loam-based compost in autumn. Grow on in full light and apply a weak, balanced, liquid fertiliser every three weeks before flowering. Dry off as the leaves die down in summer. Corms can also be bought in spring for planting outside for a one-off summer blooming, but after this would need to be grown under glass and allowed to winter grow. Plant corms 15cm (6in) deep
Propagate by seed sown as soon as ripe in autumn in a temperature of 13°C-15°C (55°F-59°F). Remove offsets when the corms are dormant in autumn and pot into equal parts peat-free, loam-based compost and sharp sand
No pruning required
May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite
Generally disease-free