Hi, I just purchased a pineapple lily. Has anyone had success with overwintering these in the ground, or is it necessary to dig up the bulb and store inside? Online info is iffy at best. Thanks for any help!
It has been grown here at the Botanical Garden. There are two accessions thriving, one from 2004. Plants are left in the ground here and not generally protected for winter. Several other accessions died fairly quickly. The two survivors are Eucomis pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii and Eucomis vandermerwei. The Garden here has very well drained gravelly soil. Winter wet is likely to be a problem here.
I have some unknown cultivars that not only survive the winters without any care but are spreading nicely - several dozen plants now grow where 3 were originally planted (I actually give away first year bulbs each spring because I get too many). The plants are growing in a bed on the west side of the house that can get quite shaded during the summer but are exposed during the winter. (not the best image but they do look good growing with bananas)
