The checkerboard flower immediately catches the eye with its strikingly patterned flower bells. The onion plant, which has become rare in the wild, is easy to settle in the garden and proves to be extremely easy to care for. This article tells you what to look out for when planting.

Checkerboard flowers should be planted in a sunny location

The right planting time

Put the small bulbs into the ground as early as September if possible, as they grow relatively slowly. This allows the checkered flower to root well and sprout vigorously next spring.

Attention: The bulbs of the checkerboard flower dry out very quickly. Therefore, use them as soon as possible after purchase.

substrate

The checkered flower prefers a permanently moist, nutrient-rich, low-lime and ideally slightly loamy soil. A thin bed of sand ensures that excess water runs off quickly. This avoids waterlogging and the onions don't rot as quickly.

Planting and planting distance

So that the delicate flowers come into their own, it is advisable to place the checkered flower in small groups with a little distance to other plants. A planting depth of about eight centimeters is sufficient for the small bulbs. The planting distance between the individual plants should be about ten centimeters.

location

The checkered flower loves the brightness and prefers a location in full sun to half shade.

multiply

The checkerboard flower reproduces by:

  • spring onions
  • seed.

As a result, the chess flower forms small stocks in favorable locations over the years, which increase every year.

You can also dig up the small bulbs, carefully remove them from the mother plant and put them back in another location. Since the checkered flower belongs to the cold germs, propagation by seeds is a little more difficult but definitely promising.

scale proliferation

Due to the scale-like structure of the bulb, which is typical of the lily family, the chess flower can be propagated vegetatively. However, this procedure requires a lot of finesse and gardening knowledge.

Good or bad neighbors

The checkered flower feels very comfortable in the vicinity of other ericaceous plants, for example on the natural bank of the garden pond.

tips

Caution, the checkered flower is poisonous in all parts of the plant. Therefore, the pretty lily plant should not be planted in areas where children play unsupervised.

Category:

Herbs