Hardy Crinum - Planting depth
James Waddick (Tue, 29 Jun 2004 06:37:08 PDT)

Dear Dell and all;
This is an interesting point and may reflect on the
conversation about time of emergence of Trilliums ala John Lonsdale
and Tony Avent.

When I first bought a Crinum bulb, one of those puny Dutch
things in a plastic bag over a decade ago, I had no clue it would be
hardy or what depth to plant it. I simply planted it in a site I
thought would be good. I may have seen pix of tropical Crinum with
their bulbs totally or almost totally exposed, maybe I guessed.
Certainly the bulb's size suggested it should at least be covered and
that would have put it 6 or 7 inches to the base. Maybe I got lucky
and the first year or two were not deathly cold here. In any case it
must have been 4 or 5 years before I had to dig it (It was eating the
path and we moved).

The bulb had moved down to at least 15 inches to the base of
the bulb, perhaps more. Does this species grow shallower in milder
climates? Does this clone always pull itself down in cold climates or
does it stay shallower and thus be less hardy in some other climate.
Do different clones or other xpowelli
behave differently? Does deep planting allow a more tender clone
(i.e.Ellen Bousanquet) to survive colder climates. Wish I knew.

When I moved, I divided the bulbs and planted them deep-at
least 12 to 15 inches (hard clay soils). Now these bulbs are even
bigger than ever and I don't have a power back hoe to dig them as
much as they need digging and replacement with newer better cvs. I
almost dread the thought of digging them. I'll get a picture to the
wiki (somehow) to give you all an idea of their current size and
hearty disposition.

Just how deep does C. x powellii grow in mild climates?

Best Jim W.

--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
E-fax 419-781-8594

Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +