At this time of year, the summer flowering bulbs, corms and tubers are beginning to appear on the shelves of garden centres and shops everwhere.
Amongst the usual crop of Cannas, Dahlias and Gladioli etc. you might well come across a little gem like this one.
Sauromatum Venosum, the Voodoo Lily or Monarch of the East. ( A much nicer name. )
This plant, has two claims to fame.
The first, is its ability to grow and flower without soil or water, simply place it on a dish on a warm windowsill then stand back and watch it grow.
The second is the atrocious odour given off when the plant is in flower, a trait it shares with that other "Voodoo Lily" Dracunculas Vulgaris.
Although in nature it grows in sub tropical/tropical climates, it's proved to be very hardy in my garden flowering every year if given the right conditions.
You can take it from me, that a few corms planted together look and smell very impressive when in flower.
The usually solitary leaf, is also pretty large considering the small size of some corms.
So, if your looking for something a bit different or something to grow as a novelty, give "The Monarch of the East" a try.
Cultivation is easy.
Planted deep, in a well drained soil enriched with plenty of well rotted manure and some bonemeal if you wish will suit it fine.
If a warm spot against a west or south facing wall or fence can be found, then so much the better.
I've tried growing S.Venosum in shade but in my garden they've had a tendency to fade away after two or three years.
The best results, have come from corms planted in sunny areas, with very light shade being passable.
In very cold areas, a good mulch will help it along and give extra protection during the winter.
Growing S.Venosum in pots poses no real problems.
Deep clay pots of the "Long Tom" variety are the best.
I use a well drained compost made up of J.I.no2/3, well rotted manure, charcoal pieces and dust and gravel or Perlite.
I add long life fertilizer granules and use Phostrogen as a supplementary fertilizer.
Don't water the pot until you see signs of growth, then only moisten the soil.
As growth picks up, increase the watering and begin to use supplementary fertilizer.
Move the pot into good light and continue watering and feeding.
Once the flower has died down, the leaf will emerge and growth will continue.
When the leaf turns yellow and growth stops, stop all watering.
Allow the pot to dry out and store in a cool frost free place. Posted by: Mike.