How to Plant Incarvillea Bulbs

Incarvillea, or Hardy Gloxinia, bulbs produce pink to light pink tube-like flowers and fern like leaves. Flowers appear in clusters of six to 10 blooms in early Spring. Incarvillea grows to be 18 to 24 inches tall. The plant is effective in container gardening but can also be used successfully in flower and shrub borders. Incarvillea bulbs bloom July through September and are hardy to about 15 degrees Farenheit.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Select a spot in your garden that gets part sun and part shade throughout the day. For ideal planting the area needs to drain well.

2. Add a little peat, manure, compost or leaf mold to the soil to increase the soil's acidity. Incarvillea bulbs thrive when planted in slightly acidic soil.

3. Plant the Incarvillea bulbs 12 to 15 inches apart and three to five inches deep. Set the long tuber bulbs into their planting holes long ways so growth can occur from either end of the bulb.

4. Water the area and keep the soil moist. Don't let it dry out during the Incarvillea bulb's growing season.

5. Remove fading flowers to extend the plant's flowering capability and to keep it producing.

Tips & Warnings

• Add some sand to your soil to help with drainage. Sand does not clump around plant roots and allows water to filter down and away from the plant.
• Protect the Incarvillea bulbs from cold temperatures. Cover them with mulch or compost. Alternatively, you can dig up the bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place during the cold season.