Bowden lily

How to grow Bowden lily

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant in spring at the foot of a warm, sunny wall with the neck of the bulb at or just above soil level. Burying it deep is the commonest reason for a clump that never flowers.

Pruning

Cut flower stems down once they collapse. Leave the strap-like leaves, which appear after or alongside the flowers and feed the bulb through winter, until they yellow in late spring.

Propagation

Divide overcrowded clumps in spring, though it flowers best when congested, so leave it alone unless flowering has genuinely declined. Expect a season or two of sulking after any disturbance.

Pests and diseases

Slugs can damage emerging flower stems. Bulbs rot in cold wet soil over winter, which is more often a siting problem than a disease.

Value to wildlife

Useful late nectar, drawing bees and the occasional late butterfly in October.

Notes

A summer baking is part of the routine - it comes from South Africa and wants dry, hot conditions while dormant. In colder or wetter gardens a dry mulch over the crowns from November helps, and a raised bed or the base of a south wall is better than an open border.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Nerine bowdenii but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Nerine