Winterlings ring in the end of winter together with other early bloomers. We will show you what you need to consider when planting and caring for it.
After a long winter, the longing for the first spot of color in the garden is great. One of the first heralds of spring is the Winterling (Eranthis hyemalis). Unfazed by the cool temperatures of harsh February, the buttercup plant spreads carpets of yellow flowers across flower beds and lawns.
The plant is particularly easy to care for and undemanding. While tulips or daffodils are still a few weeks away, temperatures just above freezing point are enough for the robust winter plant to please our eyes.
Small description of plants
Winterlings are perennial herbaceous plants that grow between five and ten centimeters in height. In winter, the plants retreat into their round tubers and reliably sprout again in late winter.
The yellow flowers appear on thick greenish to brownish stems between February and March. Since winterlings reproduce themselves, large carpets of flowers are not uncommon. These not only delight us humans, but also attract the first insects.
| Winter Agaric (Eranthis hyemalis) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | 8 - 10 cm |
| Planting distance: | 3 - 5 cm |
| Flowering: | February to March |
| Lifetime: | perennial, hardy |
| Location: | Penumbra |
Occurrence and use
Originally, the winter aphid comes from southern France, Italy, Turkey and Hungary. There the plant is mainly found in vineyards and on moist forest soils. In our latitudes, the easy-care early bloomers have been naturalized since the 16th century.
The Winterling can sometimes already be found wild in Central Europe. Larger populations are found in Thuringia and Baden-Württemberg. Smaller populations occur between the Rhineland and Saxony.
The first Winterling in Germany was a souvenir from the botanist Joachim's trip to ItalyCamerarius. The plant was planted in a Nuremberg garden in 1588. Three centuries later, the carpets of flowers in the landscape parks attracted the attention of visitors. The Winterling is used exclusively as an ornamental plant and planted on meadows or in parks.
Plant Winterling
Find a suitable location
The choice of location is crucial for the growth and flowering capacity of the Winterling. The plants do not feel comfortable in the blazing sun. A partially shaded and wind-protected area of the garden is far more suitable. Winter agarics do very well as underplanting for hedges or deciduous trees.
Tip: Winter agarics are less suitable as underplanting for conifers. The substrate would be too acidic for the plants.
During the growth period, the winterling needs a few hours of sunlight a day. If the plant has drawn in its leaves and flowers in early summer, the location can theoretically also be in the shade.
Select ideal substrate
Fresh and well-drained soil offers the best growth conditions for the winter aphid. A heavy clay soil is less suitable. The plants prefer nutrient-rich soil with a corresponding lime content. The substrate can be made more permeable by adding sand or gravel. Waterlogging is not tolerated by the Winterling.
Tip: If the plant does not bloom at first, the hobby gardener is probably not at fault. Winterlings often do not flower until the second year after planting.
Planting winterlings - step by step
1. Select location
2. Prepare the soil
3. Water the tuber
4. Dig the planting hole
5. Improve the soil
6. Plant the tuber7. Close the planting hole
8. Water the tubers
The best time to plant the winterlings is early autumn. Once the location has been found and the substrate freed from weeds, stones and roots, the planting holes can be dug. There should be a distance of about five centimeters between the individual tubers.
Tip: The tubers dry out quickly. Before planting, the tubers should be watered overnight.
The potting soil should be mixed with compost or foliage soil. Sand is added to heavy soils. The tubers are placed about six centimeters deep in the ground and covered with substrate.
A group planting is particularly attractive. Also in crocuses, snowdrops,Chessboard flower or wood anemone will find suitable bed neighbors for hobby gardeners and can look forward to an early spring atmosphere in the allotment garden.
An overview of the most important planting tips
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Select Location | • partial shade • sheltered • underplanting of deciduous trees |
| Prepare the ground | • fresh • moist • nutritious • humus • calcareous |
| planting | • Autumn planting • Water tubers • Plant about six centimeters deep |
Care for Winterling
Watering Winterling correctly
Watering the winterling correctly requires a certain amount of finesse. Irrigation should be started on frost-free days and if possible before they sprout. It should be watered regularly. The winterling cannot cope with prolonged drought. The early bloomer doesn't like waterlogging either.
Tip: A permeable floor prevents the liquid from stagnating.
Fertilize Winterling correctly
Winterlings thrive fairly reliably in any garden soil. The plants have no objection to a dose of compost. However, this cannot be worked into the ground as usual, because the tubers do not have the necessary depth and could be torn out of the ground.
Alternatively, the natural fertilizer is distributed superficially around the plants. Adequate fertilization should be ensured at the time of planting. Once the planting hole has been dug, the excavation can be mixed with compost or horn shavings and the winterling is sufficiently supplied with nutrients throughout its first year.
Does the winterling have to be cut?
The scissors don't have to be used with the Winterling. After the flowering period is over, the plants start to retreat completely into their tuber. In summer the early bloomers will no longer be visible.
Warning: Do not cut off wilted flowers and leaves. The winterling's rhizome draws its nutrients from it.
An overview of the most important care tips
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Casting | • water regularly • avoid waterlogging |
| Fertilize | • Compost at planting • Material cannot be worked into the soil later |
| Cut | • No pruning necessary • Plant pullscompletely into the ground |
Multiply Winterling
The winter lice do most of their propagation themselves. Self-reproduction through seeds produces lush carpets of flowers in a short space of time.
Tip: If you want to prevent self-reproduction, use sterile varieties.
If the hobby gardener wants to lend a hand, propagation by division and sowing is possible.
Reproduction by division
1. Lift plants out of the ground.
2. Shake off the soil
3. Break up the root ball
4. Dig planting holes
5. Replant rhizome pieces
If the winter agaric has already developed well and spread in the bed, this type of propagation can be considered. After flowering, individual tubers are cut out. Depending on its size, the root ball can be divided into several fist-sized pieces. Then new planting holes are dug and the sections of the rhizome are placed separately at a new location.
Propagation by seeds
1. Collect seeds
2. Till the soil
3. Spread seeds
4. Work seeds in lightly
5. Water seeds
6. Wait for germination
Anyone who already has winterlings will be able to win the seeds themselves. Otherwise friends or neighbors will be happy to step in.
Towards the end of the flowering period, around March, small, star-shaped follicles appear. The seeds will be released by the end of April. Once a site has been found for sowing, the soil is loosened and finely crumbled. The seeds are spread over a large area.
Warning: Winterlings germinate in the light. The seeds are therefore not covered with soil.
The seeds can easily be raked into the ground. So that the granules are not washed away, a fine shower should be used for the subsequent watering.
Tip: If a close-meshed net is stretched over the seed, cats and birds are deterred and pests also stay away from the seed.
Diseases and pests on winter aphids
The plants are robust and hardly affected by diseases. However, the tubers are one of the favorite foods of voles. Vole baskets protect against infestation. This must be taken into account when planting.
Specialist shops offer these tight wire meshes and resourceful do-it-yourselfers quickly constructed them themselves. The planting holes must be dug much deeper if the vole basket is to be used.Approximately 15 centimeters can be assumed. The vole basket is placed in the pit. A layer of sand about two centimeters thick is filled in on top of this. Then layer in the excavation and plant the tubers as described.
Tip: Vole baskets do not need a cover at the top, because the pests do not penetrate to the surface.
What should be considered during the winter?
In the open ground, winterlings are absolutely hardy and do not need any additional protection. The plant withdraws completely into its rhizome and is therefore not attacked by frost and cold above ground.
Anyone who has planted winterlings in pots should winter them indoors in a cool and protected place. When the first leaves appear in late winter, the planter can go back outside.
Is the winterling poisonous?
The bulbs of the Winterling are highly poisonous to humans. Gloves should therefore always be worn when planting. In case of poisoning, nausea, blurred vision, heart failure and shortness of breath occur. In extreme cases, cardiac arrest can occur.