I dont know of any specil knack required but Im most inerested to find out if there is one so will check back here frequently. Best of luck. Yvonne

How do these cope with frost? Mine are very wilted at present, and I am wondering if they will come back to life.
Cheers, Jan

They are frost tender but can regrow from the roots in spring, maybe cover them with straw or similar for the rest of winter. Snails can be a big problem too.
Heather

I will try the straw. They are under a gum tree, so have a little protection. They look so nice in bloom, or simply showing off their foliage, and they grow where other things don't.
Thanks - Jan

I grew some from seed in the autumn but either the cold or the snails killed a lot off. I still have a few left to plant out and perhaps the tubes will regrow later.

Andy
I have grown about 700 rengas from seed, they seem so easy, I used ordinary potting mix and always kept some slug and snail bait handy as these plants seem to be treat food for those slugs and snails
They do not have tubers, but can be split easily as they grow, when you see that they have extras growing beside them, all I do is dig the plant up and pull the others away from the original plant and hey presto, more plants.

Recently I saw the hugest clump of Renga Rengas, it was at least 1 metre wide and at least a metre tall. the plant was around 4 years old, it looked good and did not seem to suffer from the bugs as the younger ones do.

good luck with your seed growing.

Raine

Hi Andy
just wondering how you went with your Renga Renga seeds?
I just bunged mine into a small pot of basic potting soil and kept them moist. They were in good light but probably only had direct winter sun for about an hour or so a day. The pot was crammed with seedlings. They all seemed to have shot and I have just seperated them three weeks ago into small sections of about 6 or 7 seedlings, they have had no set backs and are flourishing on. They are in an area away from frosts. The big parent plants are under gums so frost doesn't get them either. Like Raine I made sure I sprinkled snail/slug bait on them. If you don't like to do that you could just put some sawdust around the top of the pot. Oh! almost forgot I also watered them occassionally with weak fish emulsion.
cheers Mrs B

Well... the first pot are down to about 30%, thanks to the slugs, but the second pot are still ok, but seem to have stopped growing at 3/4" tall. Just glad they sprouted to be honest, as they're one of the few things that will grow in one area dominated by a hug cedar and next door's gum tree. Thanks for the tips re slug bait, although I never learn - this week I found loads of salvia seedlings had disappeared overnight...

Jan, local nurseries started selling them for the first time this year. Most of them were caught unawares. I can confidently say that they stay evergreen to -5C. The first time we dipped below this, it went brown. I didn't check it until after -8C one night. Herbaceous is the word that springs to mind. It is now re-shooting and looking healthy. Great foliage...rain drops bead on the surface beautifully.

Andy, glad to hear you're making progress!

They look good planted in groups, but did find out that if planted too close together they make a great home environment for those slugs and snails. Plants that have multiplied into larger clumps don't seem to have the same problem.
Takes a while for them to flower, but is definately worth the wait.

Raine

Mine are putting up new green shoots. I don't believe it went below -5 here, although the neighbors say it has been the frostiest year they can remember. It seems warmer here than Central Vic!
I am pleased to see them greening up, as I would like them to spread themselves out generously under the gum tree. There are not too many things happy to grow there.
Cheers, Jan

Its October and my 2 year old Rengas are going to flower, I am looking forward to seeing them.

I bought a pink flowering one at a local market, hope that it will do its thing soon too. do not know how pink it will be.

How are the rest of you going with your plants?

Raine (Lorraine)

Thought there might have been some new messages!

Look forward to seeing some next time!!

Raine

Whats happened to the renga growers?

Raine

I have just joined this forum, but I also grow renga renga lilies. Mine are on a clay bank exposed to full sun, wind and the odd heavy frost!! 2 years ago I had 7 pots crammed full, pulled them out and divided them-63 small plants onto the bank mulched with bark. Further division--now have over 200, last summer they all flowered and I cut the stems off and threw them on the ground--to my astonishment the plants flowered again in Feb and those stems were cut and the lot strewn. Now today there are at least 300 small seedlings about 50-60 mm tall,I do toss some general fertiliser at this area every 6 weeks but no other fuss or bother. I find in my windy garden they are virually bombproof!!