How to Grow Pineapple Lilies in Australia

Pineapple lily (Eucomis comosa and its hybrids) is a summer-flowering bulb from South Africa in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). It is grown for tall spikes of starry flowers crowned with a leafy tuft, like a small pineapple. The cut stems last for weeks in a vase. Despite the name it is not a true lily: lilies (Lilium) belong to a different family, Liliaceae. It suits most Australian gardens from the subtropics to frosty tablelands. The usual mistake is leaving the dormant bulb in cold, wet soil over winter.

Three mistakes that matter

1. Wet soil while dormant. The bulb rests through winter, and cold, soggy soil rots it before spring. Plant in free-draining soil, a raised bed or a pot, and keep the ground on the dry side once the leaves die down.
2. A dry summer. Pineapple lilies come from summer-rainfall country, so a parched bed gives limp leaves and a poor flowering display. Water deeply whenever summer rain fails, from the first leaves until the flowers finish.
3. Too much shade. Heavy shade, or taller plants smothering the leaves, cuts flowering and leaves the spikes weak and leaning. Give the bulbs at least six hours of sun, with light afternoon shade only in the hottest districts.

When to plant

Plant in spring once frost has passed and the soil has warmed to about 18°C. The bulbs will not grow in cold soil. Bulbs flower again each summer, so this is a one-off planting rather than a crop to repeat.

Where spring is slow to warm, start bulbs in pots under shelter about a month early. Harden them off (move them gradually into full sun over a week or so), then plant out once the soil is warm.

Site, soil and setup

Plants usually grow 50 cm to 1 m tall and up to 50 cm wide. Place clumps in the middle of a bed or the front of a deep border.

A perennial bulb stays put, so crop rotation does not come into it. Clumps grow larger each year and can stay until they crowd.

Pineapple lilies and the state weed lists

No state or territory declares any pineapple lily a weed, and none appears on the Victorian or ACT advisory lists of environmental weeds.

Spent spikes carry seed, so cut them before they ripen if you garden near bushland, and put unwanted offsets in the general waste bin. Your local council can advise on any plant in your area.

Container growing

Pineapple lilies make long-lived pot plants, and a wide, shallow pot is steadier than a tall one once the spikes are up. One bulb suits a pot about 15 cm across, roughly 2 L. Three bulbs need a pot at least 30 cm across, about 15 L, set 7.5 to 15 cm apart. Use premium potting mix in a pot with drainage holes, and set the bulb tips just below the surface.

• Position. Full sun, with light afternoon shade in hot districts.
• Watering. Keep the mix moist from the first shoots until the flowers fade, checking every few days in summer heat.
• Feeding. Give fish and seaweed blend at 25 mL per 9 L every fortnight while the plant is in leaf.
• Winter. Let the mix dry out once the leaves yellow, and move the pot under cover where winters are frosty or wet. Start watering again in early spring, and return the pot to full sun once frost has passed.
• Repotting. Lift and divide crowded bulbs every few years while dormant.

Planting Bulbs

Pineapple lilies start from dormant bulbs planted pointed end up in warm spring soil.

Planting in the ground

• Plant bulbs that feel firm and heavy for their size, and bin any soft or mouldy ones.
• Set each bulb pointed end up with its tip at or just below the soil surface, so the neck barely shows.
• In frosty districts, plant 10 to 15 cm deep instead, which protects the dormant bulb from cold.
• Space bulbs 25 to 30 cm apart, in groups of three or more for a fuller clump.
• Water in once, then keep the soil just moist until shoots appear.
• Mark the spot, because shoots can take several weeks to show.

Care by growth stage

Two things matter most: steady moisture in summer and a dry rest in winter. Leaves feed the bulb for next summer's flowers, so let them die down naturally.

Count the weeks from planting day; in cool districts each stage arrives later. If growth is weak in poor soil, a light dose of all-purpose controlled release granular (NPK around 14-5-10) scratched in at planting can help. Where winters are both cold and wet, lift the bulbs once the leaves wither and store them dry until spring.

Companion planting

The broad leaves and upright spikes work best with low, fine-textured plants around them that leave the leaves in full sun.

Grows well with

• Alyssum and lobelia at the front, which soften the base without shading the leaves.
• Burgundy-leaved shrubs, which echo the dark leaves of the purple pineapple lily.
• Other summer bulbs and perennials that like summer water and good drainage, so one watering routine suits the bed.

Keep apart

• Dense, spreading groundcovers and tall perennials, which smother the leaves and cut flowering.
• Trees and large shrubs that cast heavy shade over the bed.

Harvesting Blooms

Cut stems once about a quarter of the lower flowers have opened. They can last about two to six weeks in a vase, depending on the variety.

• Take the stem near its base but leave the leaves, which feed the bulb.
• Put stems straight into plain tap water, which suits them better than flower preservative.
• Cut faded spikes back to the base so the clump stays tidy.

To store lifted bulbs, clean off the soil and dry them in shade for a few days. Keep them in dry sand in a cool, frost-free place until spring.

Common problems

Leaves but no flowers. Shade, a dry summer or immature bulbs are the usual causes, and young bulbs can take two to five years to flower.

No shoots by late spring. The bulbs wait for warm soil, so they often appear late in cool districts and need patience rather than digging up.

Bulbs rotting over winter. Cold, waterlogged soil during dormancy is the cause, as described in Three mistakes that matter. Read more

Spikes falling over. Dense flower spikes can topple under their own weight, more so in shade or wind, so tie a heavy spike to a thin stake.

Limp leaves in summer. Hot sun with dry soil makes the leaves flop and scorch, so water deeply and give afternoon shade in hot districts.

Pests and diseases

Few pests trouble pineapple lilies, and the three below cause most of the damage.

Common garden snail (Cornu aspersum) and slugs. They chew new leaves as they emerge in spring, feeding mostly at night. Go out with a torch in the first two hours after sunset and drop them into soapy water. Read more

Aphids (family Aphididae). Clusters of small, soft-bodied insects suck sap from young leaves and flower spikes. Squash small colonies by hand and leave the ladybirds and hoverflies that eat them. Read more

Two-spotted mite (Tetranychus urticae). Tiny mites leave pale stippling under the leaves, sometimes with fine webbing, and build up fast in hot, dry weather. Check leaf undersides and avoid broad-spectrum insecticides, which kill the predatory mites that keep them down. Read more

Prevention first

• Plant only firm bulbs into free-draining soil, so rot has no foothold.
• Check new leaves after spring rain for snail and slug damage.
• Rake up dead leaves in autumn, because good garden hygiene leaves pests fewer hiding places.

Tips

1. Grow new plants from a single leaf: cut it into 4 to 6 cm sections and stand them upright 2.5 cm deep in moist mix. Small bulbs form along the base in 8 to 10 weeks.
2. Separate offsets from crowded clumps while the bulbs are dormant and replant them straight away.
3. Cut leaves of purple-leaved forms also last for weeks in a vase, and some even grow roots.
4. Bees visit the open flowers, so a clump adds late-summer food to a pollinator garden.

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