Here you go Scotsgran… all the info you need

http://bit.ly/hCkXtc

I'm sorry Mg this link is not working for me I have tried it without the http:// on it and even making all the letters lower case. I have typed it in and pasted it to no avail. I did get a Japanese translation of Keysian theories. ????

http://www.suite101.com/content/growing-dracuncula-vulgaris-the-voodoo-lily-a58599
The short form worked for me. Above is the full address.

It sounds revolting. She is seriously thinking of sending it back. At £11.90 for 2 bulbs the thought of having to put up with the smell of rotting fish or road kill in her small garden is worrying her. The fact that they attract blue bottles is not attractive either. The flower looks beautiful and is a gorgeous colour but the catalogue forgot to mention the down sides to the plant. Thank you both for your speedy replies.

It certainly is a smelly plant! But then so or Soromatum venosum which flowered in our front porch yesterday! Phew glad the flower only lasts a day…

Are you saying the smell of the voodoo plant will only smell for one day or is that the Soromatum.

We don't have a voodoo lily but from all I've read the smell only lasts long enough to attract a few flies to pollenate so usually no more than a day. And, apparently, you can't smell the plant if you are over a metre away from it. The problem with our Soromatum was it was in a porch with the windows only open a crack so the smell was pretty bad - though himself maintains no worse that cow manure!

Most of the smelly aroids have short lived flowers. I don't think that the Sauromatum does have a 'bad' smell - I liken it to cattle slurry which is quite common in an agricultural area. Don't know about the leaves of the voodoo plant but we mainly grow the sauromatum for its foliage, which comes after the flower.

The smell is short lived.
Also, do not make the same mistake that I made - I decided to try to get seeds from it, but the plant is monocarpic, so the strong bulb died. Cut the flower off as soon as it's over and it should rebloom.

Thank you all.She took my advice which was to phone the supplier and see what they said. She has been told to let it flower on the windowsill inside. She is not to plant it. It will flower straight out of the bulb. After it has flowered she may be able to plant it the person who answered the phone was unsure. It does not sound like the voodoo bulbs described on the internet at all. She was also advised that a note has been made about her query and if she is not happy in the future she can return it without a problem.

Do you have a scientific name for this voodoo lily, a name that can be applied to several aroids. Your latest information sounds like advice given for GC Sauromatum venosum; keep it on a dry saucer to flower and then throw it away. What a waste, it has a beautiful leaf and our 'parent' is now several years old. If it is the Sauromatum I will tell you how we grow it.

Certainly not how you would grow Dracunula vulgaris, which also has attractive foliage and mottled stems.
And you would never grow it in your living room!!

You wouldn't grow Sauromatum there either!

She bought it from The Spalding bulb company. I found this description on their web site, there is a picture of it on their site but I could not copy it.
spaldingbulbs.co.uk/Flower + Bulbs

Just place the large tuber on the window sill. A spiky flower with purple specks will appear in the spring, followed by the exotic mottled leaves. This is a so-called 'dry flowerer', so it does not need any potting soil.

Voodoo Lily - Houseplant
(Sauromatum venosum)

OK. This is standard 'Garden Center speak' for growing Sauromatum venosum.
S. venosum is not suitable for growing in the garden because a) it is frost tender and b) it requires to be completely dry during its dormancy.
We grow in it in pots and after the leaves die back in say, August/September we remove the bulb/tuber from its pot and allow it to dry out. The dry tuber is kept in a cool, dark part of the house until about January when we repot it in a very dry soil based compost with plenty of grit. The pots go into the frost free conservatory. Come the beginning of April they will put up a shoot which becomes the flowering head. As Mg said ours did its bit on Tuesday. The pots then go outside onto the patio to receive what rain the heavens send or I give as part of our general pot watering - nothing special. Come mid-May the tuber will start to produce this amazing sicle shaped leaf which is watered well whilst in growth. The leaf is allowed to die down and the bulb is unpotted etc, etc.

Thank you Bulbaholic. She will be very pleased to have such detailed instructions.

Interesting plant.
Interesting also the difference in description (and price) between Spalding bulb co and the Anglian bulb company.

We got the parent Sauromatum for John Amand and now have several growing on nicely...

It is good to hear of others experiences with other suppliers. I have had a quick look at both mentioned above and am interested in a closer look when I have the time. Thank you all.