Dealing with tender exotics

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: awakening dormant tender plants

- Anne Swithinbank

Q I have pots of gloriosa and calla lilies overwintering in my porch. They were bought a few years ago in bloom, but have not grown or flowered well since. Can I bring them back to full glory, or should I start again? Maggie Linklater, Winscombe, Somerset

A There is a group of slightly tender exotic plants that die back in the autumn to storage organs. Fuelled by leaves during the growing season, these contain stored food ready to propel the plants back to life when they receive water and warmth in late winter/spring.

The gloriosa and calla lily mentioned rest as tubers, and you have done the right thing by keeping them in their original pots of compost dry but frostfree. Of course, you can buy new tubers or pay out for plants in growth and flower during summer. Yet this costs money and you would miss out on one of my favourite early spring gardening jobs – digging for buried treasure.