Guide to growing Grassnut Brodiaea
- Brodiaea is a hardy bulb that grows to between 30 and 90cm in height.
- It has many different species in the genus including Grassnut, Blue-dicks, Firecracker flower and Ithuriel's spear.
- It flowers in the spring with star shaped white or violet blooms.
How to grow grassnut
If planning to grow Brodiaea outdoors then seeds should be planted in the autumn at a depth of 3mm and bulbs planted in early autumn at a depth of 10cm. If you plan to first grow Brodiaea members indoors first then it is best to sow them at a temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius; they take from one tothree months to germinate. It is important to water Brodiaea family members from below as their leaves tend to be sensitive to water and can decay. The seedlings of grassnut should then be planted out in the autumn; they will take about two years until they bear flowers. They should be planted in a sunny area about 10cm apart into gritty soil with excellent drainage.
Caring for Grassnut in the garden
Grassnut may require to be watered during dry spells but do not water at other times of the year. In very damp or very got summers, grassnut bulbs should be moved indoors and replanted again in the Autumn.