Saving an Arum Lily for a old Nursery

Ever since I was a little girl I loved Arum Lilies, known in my native language as "varkore". We had a few of them in the garden all the years, but with time they stopped coming back during springtime. All the different colours of the same type of plant are fascinating to me. I know some of them by scientific names and had plant science at university, so I'm aware of the reasons and species and all that.

I started gathering a few bulbs during covid, got a few giant "varkore" from an old lady, bought a yellow one (that has sadly not survived this past winter) and got a purple one for my birthday last year (this one I took care of during winter, but it has not sprouted yet). This year I ended up saving a few from the mix and match plants from nurseries. It seems that with covid most of the small nurseries in my area closed down, or didn't have enough hands to take care of all the plants. I have gathered a few succulents, fruit trees, all kinds of flowers, roses and of course a few arum lilies

This was one of the particular ones I "saved" last week. The nursery is closing down and most of the plants are in bad condition. I spotted 5 "varkore" all sad and depressed. So I took them home (yes, I did pay full price for them), gave 2 away to a friend, planted one at work, and kept 2 for myself. unfortunately one of the bulbs was rotten and I was unable to save it.

However, little Fred can still be saved!

As you can see the plant barely had any soil, none of the stems was able to stand upright, and the leaves started to wilt.

First thing first, I had to cut down the dead leaves. It's draining the plant of energy. I was left with one new leave that is trying its best to survive in this world.

I already had a pot with soil, since I recently replanted one of my other "varkore". I know it looks small, but placing a plant in a giant pot is also not a great idea.

I removed the plant from its prison, washed off the soil and allowed it to dry for a while. These bulbs can rot if they are too wet, but they still loveeee water.

I filled the pot with a bit of soil to form a bed for the bulb. These plants need to be planted deep. I topped the soil and watered little Fred.

I moved him next to all his new friends, and he received a few rocks. I have a rock obsession so I need to do something with all the rocks I bring home.

Thanks for reading my short blog about Fred. I'm hoping that he will grow tall and strong. I'm excited to see what colour the flowers will be since I was not informed. But by the looks of it, he will probably be a white giant (Zantedeschia). If that is the case I'll have to replant him in a few months. Here's to hoping that he will bloom this year! I'll update you guys on Fred in a few months once he has had time to adjust to his new environment. If anyone has tips on how I can keep him happy, please feel welcome to share them.

Gardening (more like pots and pots and pots) is one of the things I enjoy during my alone time. Nature can teach us so much about ourselves.