Crinum

Crinum (group)

Characteristics

Culture

Crinum is native to the warmer parts of the Americas and Africa. Some represent a single species, but most that you encounter are hybrids of different species. In general, they combine bold, fragrant flowers with handsome, strap like foliage and a bulldog constitution. Classic pass-along plants in the South, they survive untended for decade upon decade in cemeteries, old home sites, and country gardens, blooming year after year.  Choose a sunny spot with decent soil for planting. To plant, first find the “neckline” of the bulb – the point where its color transitions from white to green. Dig a hole six inches deeper than the neckline, place the bulb in the bottom, and cover it with soil. According to East Texas horticulturist, Greg Grant, when a flower fades, you can just snap it off, and new buds will keep opening up.

Noteworthy Characteristics

According to Bill Welch, a horticulture professor at Texas A&M University, these plants were among the earliest to be extensively hybridized.  Crinums tolerate many soils, from wet to well-drained to dry (although blooming is often spurred by spring and summer downpours). Many crinums grow into large clumps of absolutely enormous bulbs that store food reserves. This means that can they weather long stretches of drought and utter neglect and then bloom when conditions improve. It also means that, unlike most plants, you can dig, transplant, share (and ship) crinums just about any time without killing them. Large, showy blossoms range in color from white to pink to deep rose and reddish purple. Milk-and-wine crinums bear white flowers with pink stripes. Because of their origins, crinums favor the warmer growing areas of USDA Zones 7-11. However, some cold-hardy crinums withstand frigid winters.

Problems

Mealybugs, nematodes, slugs and snails are occasional visitors. Bulb rot. Leaf scorch.

Garden Uses

Borders, containers, houseplants, pond or water garden peripheries. Good accent. Good cut flower.