Aloha Lily Leia

that`s nice...

:)

I am going to try and create a full tropical (ish) garden in derbyshire next year and have tried to establish some pineapple lillie. However, I was less than successful. Can you offer any tips please?

I have small courtyard garden with 2 small beds and lots of pots...

Hello Jb! I bought pineapple lilies in September last year for the first time, so I'm not experienced, therefore I'm not sure I can be of any help.. Here's what I've done right (and wrong): I bought the red one shown in the photo in a pot which was in a miserable state at the time; the flowers were finished and the leaves looked sad (that's why it was reduced to clear). I cut off all the flowers immediately, planted them in the ground and mulched them heavily with pine chips and the result was very successful. However, the green pineapple lily I bought at the same time (also in a pot), I kept flowers so I could get seeds from them. Other than that, I treated them exactly in the same way as the red one. They didn't flower this year. So, tip 1. deadhead flowers; tip 2. mulch them well over winter, or if you grow them in pots, take them indoors in winter.

Thankyou Tommymoo! I had bought bulbs and they just rotted. Do you recommend buying a plant?

I'd rather buy bulbs. It's easier for me. As I told you, the plant I bought last year didn't flower, but the bulbs I bought this year flowered.
Sorry to hear yours rotted (some of my nerine bubls also rotted maybe because I planted them too deep). Pineapple lilies prefer free-draining soil, so I mixed lots of tiny pebbles with compost when I planted them.