Gloriosa superba 'Rothschildiana'

How to grow gloriosa

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Thursday, 4 April 2019 at 3:00 pm

Find out how to grow exuberant glory lilies from tubers in our how-to guide.

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The climbing glory lily, Gloriosa superba 'Rothschildiana' is an ideal choice for growing in a warm conservatory, where it will scramble up support canes or wires to a height of around 1.2m.

An exotic summer-flowering plant, the glory lily requires warm growing conditions to encourage the tubers to develop roots. Plant them in pots and keep them in a heated greenhouse or propagator.

Before planting, study each tuber closely to see which end has a shoot growing out from the tip. These shoots are the plant's leaves, so should be facing upwards. If no shoots are visible, plant the tubers horizontally in trays and transplant later when you know which end the shoots are growing from.

Follow these easy steps to grow your own beautiful glory lilies.

You Will Need

Glory lily tubers, Gloriosa superba 'Rothschildiana'
Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
20cm diameter pot
String
Support

Step 1

How to grow gloriosa - planting the tubers

Place the tubers in a large, deep pot and fill with compost so the shoot tips lie a few centimetres below the surface. Each tuber produces a single shoot, so plant several in each pot.

Step 2

How to grow gloriosa - watering the compost

Stand the pot in a warm spot, such as in a heated greenhouse or on a heated propagator, and keep the compost moist.

Step 3

How to grow gloriosa - tying in the stems

When upright, leafy shoots form, tie them to supports. The leaf tips have hooked ends that will attach to things, but don't rely on these as the only means of support. The shoots will branch out and produce spectacular flowers in midsummer.

Winter glory lily care

Gloriosa superba 'Rothschildiana' is one of the best known glory lilies to grow, but there are others you could try growing, too, such as Gloriosa lutea (yellow flowers with wavy edges) and Gloriosa carsonii (purple and yellow flowers). In autumn, plants can be cut back and the tubers lifted. Keep them somewhere cool, dry and frost-free, to be planted again the following spring.

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