With golden-yellow flowers, winterlings greet the approaching spring when all other plants remain in deep hibernation. If you don't want to miss out on this bloom premiere, explore here for answers to unanswered questions about cultivating Eranthis hyemalis.

The winterlings are the first to announce spring

Table of Contents

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  1. Plant winterlings correctly
  2. care tips
  3. Which location is suitable?
  4. The right planting distance
  5. What soil does the plant need?
  6. What is the best planting time?
  7. When is flowering time?
  8. Cut winterlings correctly
  9. Water winterlings
  10. Fertilize winterlings properly
  11. pests
  12. hibernate
  13. multiply winterlings
  14. How do I plant correctly?
  15. Is winterlings poisonous?
  16. Winterling does not bloom
  17. Which plant neighbors harmonize with winterlings?
  18. trivia
  19. Beautiful varieties

    20. Plant winterlings correctly

    On a mild autumn day in September or October, planting of winterlings begins by soaking the bulbs of the flower in a lukewarm water bath for a few hours. In the meantime, prepare the soil in the partially shaded, nutrient-rich and not too dry location. Thorough raking and weeding is the top priority, because the more finely crumbly the substrate, the more vital the plant's roots. Then it goes on like this:

    • Dig small planting holes 10-20 cm apart
    • Enrich the excavation with compost and horn shavings (32.93€).
    • Insert a tuber about 5 cm deep at a time and solidify the soil with your hands
    • Water the planting site and cover with compost or peat dust

    Ideally mark the location to prevent accidental raking or digging. Sprouting weeds are only plucked out at this point. If the garden is infested with voles, first sink a vole basket in the ground and only then plant the Eranthis hyemalis.

    care tips

    Winterlings' compact care log fits on a single page of your notebook. How to properly treat the flower:

    • Winterlings water when dry
    • Do not fertilize in normal garden soil
    • Apply a starter fertilizer in the form of compost in poor soil
    • Light winter protection only required in the year of planting

    In order for the plant to be able to propagate by self-seeding, only cut off the withered flower stalks after the ripe follicles have burst. The foliage remains attached to the rhizome until it has completely yellowed. During this time, the remaining nutrients migrate from the leaves into the tuber to serve as an energy reserve for the next season. Only then cut off the leaves close to the ground.

    Which location is suitable?

    Allocate Eranthis hyemalis to a sunny to partially shaded location. Ideally, the bed is under late-growing deciduous trees. In this position, enough light reaches the flower during the flowering period. If the canopy of leaves later envelops the location in shade, this circumstance doesn't bother the plant much, because it has long since withdrawn.

    The right planting distance

    If you choose a planting distance between 10 and 20 centimeters, the spring flower forms a dense carpet of flowers within a short time. At this distance, each plant has enough space for the rhizome to spread quickly in the soil and provide for offspring.

    What soil does the plant need?

    Eranthis hyemalis develops its optimum in nutrient-rich, humus-rich and fresh, moist soil. Avoid a location with too acidic soil, because in the worst case there will be no flowering. A proximity to rhododendrons may seem tempting due to visual aspects; from a horticultural point of view, proximity to a plant in acidic substrate makes no sense. In balcony boxes and tubs, we recommend commercial potting soil as a substrate, enriched with compost and horn shavings and a handful of leaf soil.

    What is the best planting time?

    As a typical spring bloomer and classic tuber plant, Eranthis hyemalis wants to go into the ground in autumn. Choose a mild day between late August and mid-October to plant the bulbs. Please consider the high poison content of the rhizomes when planting them in the ground.

    When is flowering time?

    Eranthis hyemalis blooms from February to March. If the winter comes with moderate weather, you can look forward to the bright yellow flower heads and the beguiling scent in mild locations as early as January. Follow the race between winterlings and snowdrops for the first flower of the year with your family and bet on this year's winner.

    Cut winterlings correctly

    Cut out the withered flowers at once, depriving the flower of its ability to self-seed. However, if self-reproduction is not desired, only the flower stalks are cut out. The foliage is first drawn in by the rhizome, with the remaining nutrients being stored there as a reserve for the next season. Only when the leaves have yellowed do you cut them off close to the ground.

    Water winterlings

    If winterlings are expected to be exposed to too dry soil, they will, in the worst case, refuse to flower or end this year's flower festival. Therefore, water regularly during dry periods without triggering waterlogging. Ideally, use tap water and collected rainwater alternately so that no excess lime develops in the soil.

    Fertilize winterlings properly

    The nutrient-rich garden soil contains enough nutrients for the Eranthis hyemalis to feed on. Giving fertilizer, especially a nitrogen-rich supplement, could encourage foliage growth while stalling flowering. Therefore, only give a portion of compost in the early spring as a start fertilization at the poor location.

    pests

    Eranthis hyemalis is high on the menu for voles. The insatiable pests care very little about toxicity. So that the rodents do not attack the juicy tubers, they should be planted in the vole basket. This is a close-meshed wire basket that you first sink into the planting hole to put the rhizomes in it.

    hibernate

    A well-established winterling will endure frost down to -29 degrees Celsius. Light protection is only recommended in the year of planting. Therefore, cover the bed with compost, leaves or brushwood before the onset of winter. The protective layer is removed by the end of January at the latest so that the flower can develop unhindered. From the second year, no special precautions are required in the bed. If you cultivate the flower in a small pot, it will remain in a dark, frost-free room throughout the winter. As soon as the temperatures rise above zero degrees, place the plant outside.

    multiply winterlings

    So that winterlings develop a compact carpet of flowers in the shortest possible time, use the following propagation methods to help the flower:

    • After flowering, dig up the rhizome, cut off the bulbs and plant them
    • In April or May collect the ripe fruits, harvest the seeds and sow them in the recommended location

    While dividing the tubers is uncomplicated, there are a few precautions to be taken when sowing. Since the seeds are light germinators, they may be covered with a maximum of 0.5 centimeters of substrate. To ensure that the seed does not end up in the stomachs of pecking birds, it is essential to spread a close-meshed net over the bed.

    How do I plant correctly?

    If you order Eranthis hyemalis to move, the best time to do this is right after flowering. Dig up the rhizome. The more soil left at the roots, the lower the stress level for the plant. Take this opportunity to take a look at the tuber. If small daughter bulbs thrive on it, cut them off and have several specimens of the busy spring flower in your hands. Without a long wait, place the plant in its new location in fresh substrate, which is immediately generously watered. The foliage should remain on the plant until it has fully retracted and yellowed.

    Is winterlings poisonous?

    Botanically, the flower is assigned to the buttercup family. This broad family of plants is one of the poisonous plants and requires correspondingly careful handling. Store the tubers in such a way that neither children nor pets can touch them. Even small amounts can cause serious health problems. Although the toxin content in the parts of the plant above ground is lower than in the rhizome, gloves should be worn for all planting and care work.

    Winterling does not bloom

    If the flower simply does not want to bloom, the suspicion arises that the tuber fell victim to voles. If no flower heads appear by the end of February, dig up the plant. If the suspicion is confirmed and the onion has been nibbled, the pest is the first winner for this year. So that it does not come into play again, plant fresh winterling bulbs in the protection of a wire basket in autumn.

    Which plant neighbors harmonize with winterlings?

    The snowdrop is by no means the only flower that keeps good company with winterlings. The following species and varieties easily join this graceful plant:

    • Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa)
    • Crocus (Crocus)
    • Snowglow (Chionodoxa forbesii)
    • Snow crocus (Crocus chrysanthus)
    • Checkered Flower (Fritillaria meleagris)

    A combination with hostas has the advantage that withered winter cultivars are covered by the magnificent foliage of the decorative leaf plants throughout the summer, so that there are no unsightly gaps in the bed.

    trivia

    Millions of winterlings bloom every year in the mild winter Rautal near Jena and attract visitors in droves. More than 300 flowers per square meter can be admired on more than 5 hectares - and there are more every year. Every year in February or March, the residents of the small village of Closewitz invite you to a hearty Winterling weekend to celebrate the little flower. Friends of the bright yellow plant can walk around the area on a 2-kilometre-long circular path created especially for this occasion, in order to strengthen themselves in between with coffee and cake or a goulash soup.

    Beautiful varieties

    • Eranthis cilicica: Flowers a darker golden yellow than Eranthis hyemalis and dresses in bronze foliage
    • Glory: Magnificent hybrid Eranthis x tubergeniana with extra fresh green leaves and light yellow flowers
    • Guinea Gold: Bright yellow, like Glory, with painterly contrast thanks to bronze foliage
    • Aurum: A hitherto largely unknown species from Siberia that blooms in pure white

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Vegetable garden