How to Grow Chincherinchee in Australia

Chincherinchee (Ornithogalum thyrsoides) is a South African bulb in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). It is grown for tall spikes of white, cup-shaped flowers that last for weeks in a vase. It sits beside tulips in the store but is not a tulip, nor the spring star; each has its own guide. Planted in autumn, it flowers from October to December. The mistake that matters most is letting spent spikes set seed, because that is how it escapes into pasture and bushland.

Three mistakes that matter

1. Letting it go to seed. One plant can shed around 500 tiny black seeds, which wash and walk into bushland and paddocks, where the plant poisons stock. Seed sets from about October to November, so cut every spike before its pods ripen. Bag spent stems for the household rubbish bin, never the green bin.
2. Planting in wet ground. The bulbs rest underground through summer, and soil that stays wet while they are dormant rots them. Choose a free-draining bed, a raised bed or a pot.
3. Cutting the leaves off early. The leaves feed next year's bulb. Leave them until they yellow and wither on their own, often while the spike is still in flower, then clear them away.

When to plant

Plant in autumn, from March to May, timed just before autumn rain, so the bulbs root while the soil cools. Anzac Day sits in the middle of that window across the south. One planting lasts for years, because the bulbs multiply where they grow.

Bulbs that arrive late can still go in during June, though they may flower later. Until planting, keep them in a paper bag somewhere cool, dry and airy.

Site, soil and setup

Rotation does not apply to a bulb left in place for years.

Weed status by state

Chincherinchee has naturalised in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, and it is regarded as an environmental weed in all three. It is on no state or territory's current declared weed list, but South Australian weed authorities ask gardeners not to plant it.

In South Australia, do not plant it, even in a pot, because even cut flowers can set seed. Around the Perth hills and on the NSW tablelands, where it has escaped, grow it only in pots and cut every spike before it seeds. Never dump surplus bulbs.

Container growing

A pot keeps the bulbs dry over summer, but its spikes still need cutting before they seed. A pot at least 25 cm wide, about 8.5 L, holds a pack of five bulbs. A wide, squat pot suits, because the roots are not deep. Fill it with premium potting mix that drains freely.

• Watering. Water once at planting, then whenever the top few centimetres of mix dry out while the plants are in leaf.
• Feeding. Give liquid potash at the label rate every fortnight from the first flower buds.
• Position. Full sun through winter and spring, under the eaves if a wet spell sets in.
• Summer rest. Once the leaves wither, move the pot out of the rain and keep it dry until autumn.

Planting Bulbs

Start chincherinchee from dormant bulbs, such as the Chincherinchee Elite pack of five, a selection grown for straight, even stems.

Planting in the ground

• Wear gloves, because the sap can irritate skin (see the caution under Harvesting Blooms).
• Plant each bulb 8 cm deep, pointed end up and roots down.
• Space bulbs 10 to 15 cm apart, in a group rather than a single row.
• Water in well, then keep the soil just moist until shoots appear.
• Shoots often appear within a few weeks.
• Mark the spot with a label, because nothing shows above ground at first.

Lifting and dividing

Clumps thicken as each bulb forms offsets and small bulbils on its roots. When flowering thins in a crowded clump, lift it after the leaves have withered. Replant the largest bulbs straight away, or store them dry until autumn where summers are wet. Bin any you do not need as in Three mistakes that matter.

Care by growth stage

Winter moisture and a dry summer decide how well chincherinchee flowers. Keep them fed and watered while in leaf, because bulbs starved of water and food give smaller flowers.

Week ranges run from planting and shift with the season. Once the leaves wither, stop watering and let the bed stay dry until autumn. Where summers are wet, lift the bulbs once the leaves wither and store them dry until autumn. Pots moved under cover do the same job. In hot districts, a mulch over the bed shields the dormant bulbs. If growth is weak in poor sandy soil, a light dose of all-purpose controlled release granular (NPK around 14-5-10), scratched in at planting, can help.

Companion planting

Pair chincherinchee with plants that share its sunny, dry summer, and keep it clear of anything that needs summer water.

Grows well with

• Lavender, which likes the same sun and free drainage and hides the bulb leaves as they die.
• Gypsophila, a sun-loving filler that sits well beside the white spikes in a vase.
• Statice, another long-lasting cut flower for a dry, sunny bed.

Keep apart

• Vegetable and herb beds, where a toxic bulb could be dug up with food.
• Vigorous groundcovers, which compete with the bulbs and smother flowering.
• Native grasses and bushland plantings, which it can invade.

Harvesting Blooms

A spike is ready to cut when its lowest flowers have opened and most of it is still in bud. The buds keep opening in water.

• Cut early in the morning, taking the stem as long as possible.
• Strip any leaves that would sit under water, and stand the stems in clean water straight away.
• Recut the base on a slant before arranging, so it takes up water.
• Snap off each flower as it fades.
• Bag the stems for the rubbish bin when the vase is done, because even cut flowers can set seed.

A vase of chincherinchee often lasts around two weeks. Keep it away from the fruit bowl, because ripening fruit gives off ethylene, a gas that shortens the life of bulb flowers. Use the spikes alone in tall vases or as long-lasting white stems in mixed arrangements.

Common problems

Leaves dying as it flowers. The leaves often yellow and wither while the spike is in bloom, which is the plant's normal habit, not a sign of trouble.

Leaves but no flowers. Small bulbs grow leaves for a season or two before they flower. Crowded clumps, shade and leaves cut too soon also stop flowering (see Three mistakes that matter).

Spikes bending sideways. The flowers turn towards the sun, so plants in part shade lean, and cut stems in a vase bend towards a window.

Seedlings popping up nearby. Self-sown seedlings mean a spike was left to ripen. Dig them out with their small bulbs and any bulbils on the roots, and bin them as in Three mistakes that matter. Check the spot each year until no more come up.

Soft, smelly bulbs. Wet soil or a wet summer rest rots dormant bulbs. Replant firm bulbs in a raised bed or pot. Read more

Pests and diseases

Chincherinchee has few serious pests in gardens, but four problems turn up.

Aphids (family Aphididae). Small green, black or brown sap-sucking insects cluster on new leaves and buds and can spread viruses. Hose them off or spray horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, avoiding hot days. Read more

Ornithogalum mosaic virus (a potyvirus). Leaves show a mottled mosaic of light and dark green, and aphids spread it between plants. There is no cure, so lift and bin affected bulbs. Read more

Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea). Fuzzy grey mould rots flowers and leaves in cool, damp, still weather. Remove affected parts and keep water off the foliage.

Common garden snail (Cornu aspersum). Snails and slugs chew holes in young leaves and flowers, most in cool, moist weather. Pick them off after dark or after rain. Read more

Prevention first

• Plant firm, healthy bulbs in free-draining soil.
• Water at soil level in the morning, so leaves dry before night.
• Check new leaves and buds weekly for aphids from winter into spring.
• Clear dead leaves and plant debris, where grey mould survives and snails shelter.

Tips

1. Stand freshly cut stems in water tinted with food dye, and the white flowers take on its colour.
2. A single snapped-off flower lasts well on its own, so use spare flowers in small posies or table decorations.
3. Pinch about 3 mm off the tip of a cut spike to keep it straight in the vase.

Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send chincherinchee bulbs to Western Australia or Tasmania.