Many people are under the mistaken impres- | 
sion that the Eremurus is difficult to raise. Ac- 
tually, its requirements are very simple. 
One absolute essential for its successful culture 
is perfect drainage. It will rot if the water table 
remains about its roots. This does not mean that 
it should always be dry; during its growing period 
it requires an abundance of moisture. Another 
essential is ample plant food. In the spring the 
plant not only puts forth its tremendous showing 
above the ground, but it also develops a new root 
system under the surface (Fig 2). Each year the 
old roots are used to nourish the new plant and 
are gradually absorbed while a new set develops. 
Consequently, these plants are voracious feeders 
and it is practically impossible to give them too 
much plant food. 
When a plant is left undisturbed, the number 
of rootlets increases each year, surrounding the 
crown until enough root system has been devel- 
oped for additional crowns. In this way the num-~ 
ber of plants is increased, some varieties dividing 
more rapidly than others. When a clump has Fic. 2 
grown large enough to produce several blooms, it should be taken up and 
divided. If left in a crowded condition, the spikes will not attain their full 
height or beauty and, eventually, will cease to bloom. Some varieties divide 
completely, producing separate root systems for each crown. Others produce 
two or more crowns surrounded by one root system. Sometimes these root sys- 
tems become so tangled that their separation seems impossible. If the clump is 
allowed to dry for a few days, it will be found that these rootlets are not so 
brittle and that they will separate more easily. Care should be taken not to 
damage the rootlets but the loss of some of them will not destroy the plant. 
The Eremurus is not nearly as delicate as many believe. 
Because the Eremurus is so active during its growing season, plants should 
not be moved until they have become dormant. After they have finished 
blooming, the leaves dry up and practically disappear. The plants should then 
be kept as dry as possible. If watering is continued, they may put up another ~ 
spike late in the fall and then they will not bloom the following spring. — 
From the middle of August until the fall rains have moistened the ground 
'a few inches, the roots may be taken up, divided and transplanted. After the 
moisture comes, they make a feeder root growth which, if disturbed, may cause 
an injury or loss of the bloom for the following year. 
These plants do best in full sunshine or partial shade in a rich soil which 
is moist but very well drained. They may be planted with other plants but 
should not be allowed to become root-bound. The E. robustus and other large 
varieties require about two square feet each. Dig a hole large enough to ac- 
commodate the roots, leaving the soil higher in the center than around the 
edges. Spread the.roots out, placing the crown over the higher part in the 
center. Two or three inches of soil over the crown is adequate. If the climate 
is severe, mulching may be advisable. 
Eremuri may be raised from seed if one has sufficient patience to wait 
from four to seven years for a bloom. The first year a seedling usually has just 
one root, which goes straight down like a radish. Its growth is completed: 
early in the season and, if the ground is dry, the leaves may turn brown and 
the root become dormant early in June. Many gardeners become alarmed 
when this happens but the plants are not dead, as they suppose. They require 
no additional moisture throughout the balance of the summer and will come up 
again early the following spring. Each year the roots increase in size and 
number until the plant is ready to bloom. 
Roots differ in size and shape according to variety. Some are thick and 
fleshy, others thin and shriveled. The size of a root is not necessarily indicative 
of the size of the flower stalk which it will produce. 
