Right, let’s talk about my little adventure with the football lily. It’s one of those plants that just grabs your attention, you know? Saw a picture somewhere, thought I’d give it a try.
Getting Started
Found a bulb online, looked a bit like a weird onion, honestly. Didn’t cost much, which was good. When it arrived, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Just this brown, papery thing.
So, the first job was getting it into a pot. I just grabbed a medium-sized terracotta pot I had lying around. Heard they like good drainage, so terracotta seemed smart. Mixed up some regular potting soil with a bit of sand I had for better drainage. Nothing fancy. Didn’t measure anything precisely, just eyeballed it till it felt right – not too heavy, not too light.
Planting it was easy enough. Dug a shallow hole, popped the bulb in, making sure the pointy end (I guessed that was the top!) was sticking just slightly out of the soil. Watered it in a bit, not too much, just enough to settle the soil around it. Then I put it on the windowsill, hoping for the best.
The Waiting Game
And then… nothing. For weeks! Seriously, I almost forgot about it. Just gave it a splash of water now and then when the soil felt bone dry. Kept looking at this bulb sticking out of the dirt, thinking, “Is this thing even alive?” Patience isn’t my strong suit, I’ll admit.
Surprise!
Then one morning, I spotted it. A little green shoot pushing up! Have to say, I was pretty chuffed. It grew fast after that, like it was making up for lost time. A thick stem shot up, really sturdy looking.
Care was pretty basic during this time:
- Water when the top inch of soil felt dry.
- Kept it in a bright spot, but not scorching direct sun all day.
- Didn’t bother with any special feed, just let it do its thing.
The Big Show
The best part was seeing the flower head start to form. It started as a tight bud, then slowly opened up into this amazing sphere of tiny red flowers. Seriously looked like a red firework explosion, or yeah, a football, I guess! Absolutely stunning. It didn’t last forever, maybe a week or two in full glory, but wow, it was worth the wait. Took a bunch of pictures, obviously.
After the Bloom
Once the flower faded, the leaves started to grow properly. Big, broad green leaves. Looked quite nice on their own. Kept watering it through the summer. Eventually, the leaves yellowed and died back. Apparently, that’s normal, it goes dormant. So, I just stopped watering mostly, moved the pot somewhere cool and dry for the winter, ready to see if it comes back next year. Fingers crossed!
So yeah, that was my go with the football lily. Bit of waiting, bit of guesswork, but the payoff was brilliant. Definitely recommend giving it a shot if you want something spectacular without too much fuss.
