The imperial crown, which comes from Persia, is valued in Central European gardens not only because of the magnificent flowers, but also as an effective protection against a vole plague. The vegetation rhythm of the plants gives you a certain schedule by cutting back the plants.

The inflorescence can be carefully cut back after flowering

Perennial bulb plant with a permanent location

Unlike many other bulbous plants, you don't necessarily need to dig up and replant crown imperial bulbs every year. The perennial plants can be overwintered outdoors without any problems if the bulbs are planted about two to three times as deep in the ground as the bulb is tall. However, the imperial crown grows out of the ground every spring, which is why the parts of the plant that die off above the surface of the earth should be removed for reasons of appearance and health care.

Self-sowing desired?

After the flowering period in April and May, the inflorescences of the crown imperial wither and, if fertilized successfully, also form germinable seeds. If you want to propagate your imperial crowns from these seeds, then you must leave the seed pods on the plants until they are fully mature. You can then either harvest the seeds and germinate them in a controlled manner, or you can choose to sow them yourself in the flower bed. Otherwise, you can remove the inflorescences immediately after withering, otherwise an unnecessary amount of energy will be invested in the ripening of the seeds.

Do not remove the leaves of the imperial crown too radically

After the flowers have withered, you should initially only shorten the flower stalk, as the leaves at the base of the imperial crown will still store energy in the bulb for the next growing season. Only when the leaves near the ground are completely yellowed and withered can you simply cut them off as well. But if you leave a short piece of the stem, then:

  • there is no unintentional digging up of the bulbs when tending the soil
  • When gardening, do not unnecessarily compact the soil above the bulbs
  • you have an orientation for new plantings in the flower bed

tips and tricks

Since eating the imperial crown is toxic to humans and animals, you should wear gloves when cutting and cover the cuttings on the compost heap with non-toxic material to be safe. You should also wash your hands before eating or touching sensitive parts of the body and mucous membranes.

Category:

Vegetable garden