Hi C, I grow them in zone 6 without problem here in Pittsburgh, PA. I have several forms....they are a thin vine and need something to hold on to. I have some in a pot with a large banana (musa basjoo) that I haul out ever summer and they grow up the nanner and hang on for dear life....those are in full sun......the others are in a pot with a trellis in it and those I keep in partial sun just because that is where I want the flowers....they both do fine.....get watered most days.....our humidity is fine for them here. Hope that helps a tad anyway, but maybe someone from your neck of the woods will chime in. They will need something to hold on to in the wind though :o) Dan

Dan, you are becoming my gardening buddy. Thanks for this. I held off tender bulbs for years because I could not be bothered to lift things. I started with a few calla lilies in a pot and just stuck the pot in the basement in winter. EASY! and they multiply like mad and I love em.
I want to try something new this summer so this might be the bulb. Is it okay if they die back in winter or do I need to keep them alive?
Do you grow the red one (rothschildiana) or yellow one (lutea)? I am leaning toward the red.
Hope to hear from anyone closer to my zone/location.
C

Hi C, I have the red and yellow and a couple of others. Mine die back to the rhizome ever fall and I leave the pots in the garage where it gets down to around 35F on really cold nights, but never freezes. The following spring when they get watered and it gets nice and warm they start to grow. You can get these at multiple places, including Easy to Grow Bulbs. Hope this helps :o) Dan

My experience is similar to Dan's - no trouble at all to pull the pots into the garage in winter, leave 'em alone, then give them a top dressing and watering and set them out at the base of whatever you want them to climb. I really enjoy using them to scramble up things that are a little unspectacular in early summer, like Franklinia. By the time that blooms in August, the Gloriosas have produced pods bursting with shiny red seeds, and they provide a nice contrast for the white Franklinia blossoms above them. In fall it's a simple matter to clip off the tired stems and move them back inside. The seeds can also be grown indoors, if you want more plants. It's a no brainer, and everybody needs more of those (especially me!)

Beautiful flower! Does the gloriosa lily have any fragrance?

Teresa

Never noticed any smell, but I've never really stuck my nose in one to be honest :o) Dan

Well you can count me in now - I love starting things from seeds, esp expensive 'annuals.'