From my perspective as a Nerine bowdenii bulb, timing is everything. I am not like a tulip or daffodil. I originate from South Africa and my internal clock is set to a specific seasonal rhythm. I flower in the late summer or fall, *after* my foliage has emerged and grown. If you planted me in the spring alongside other bulbs, you have deeply confused my biological programming. I need to be planted in late summer or early autumn, just as I am naturally coming out of my dormancy. Planting me at the wrong time means I am simply not ready to wake up, and I will remain dormant underground, conserving my energy until the conditions feel right. This is the most common reason I haven't sprouted.
How you placed me in the soil is critical. If you buried me too deeply, the energy stored in my bulb may not be sufficient to push a flower spike and leaves all the way to the surface. I am a surface-loving plant. The very top of my neck, and ideally even the very tip of my nose, should be exposed to the sunlight and air above the soil line. Furthermore, please ensure I am right-side up! My roots grow from the basal plate (the flat, sometimes hairy bottom), and my flower spike and leaves emerge from the pointed tip. If I am upside down, I will exhaust myself trying to reorient my growth, which can prevent any sprouting.
My health is directly threatened by wet, cold feet. I am adapted to well-draining, gritty soil. If you planted me in heavy, clay-based soil that remains soggy, especially during the winter, I am at high risk of rot. My bulb is a store of energy and life, but it is also susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections in constantly damp conditions. Cold, wet soil can also signal that it is not the right time to grow, forcing me back into dormancy or, worse, causing me to decay before I ever get a chance to sprout. I need a sunny spot where water drains away quickly.
While I am surprisingly resilient, my tolerance for cold has limits, typically USDA zones 7-10. If you live in a zone colder than 7, the winter freeze may have damaged me. A sudden, early, or severe frost after I had already begun to send up new growth could have shocked my systems, killing the tender emerging spike and leaves. Conversely, if I was recently imported or purchased from a greenhouse and then subjected to a sharp temperature drop, I might have gone into survival mode, aborting the growth cycle to preserve my core. I need protection, like a thick mulch layer, in the northern parts of my range.
Finally, please understand my natural rhythm. I am sometimes a biennial bearer. This means that after a particularly vigorous year of flowering, I may need an entire growing season to replenish my energy stores. I might produce only leaves one year to gather sunlight and nutrients, storing them away to power a spectacular floral display the following year. If I produced a great number of flowers last season, I may simply be taking a "rest" year to rebuild my strength underground before I sprout again.
