Crinum moorei/hardiness
320083817243-0001@t-online.de (Sat, 26 Jun 2004 15:41:51 PDT)

Dear All,

Very interesting topic! I was not aware how hardy most of the Crinums seem to
be!

I grow Crinum X Powellii and Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet' Side by side on the base
of a south facing wall in the open garden. Further up the wall is an old
Wisteria and the dead leaves form a thick natural mulch. C. X Powellii is not
even cut down to the ground in most winters. Ellen Bosanquet is smaller and
younger and has not flowered yet but looks very good much better than another
potted bulb I grow potted for safety. BLut Ellen Bosanquet disappears totally
in winter quite unlikely ot X Powellii. We can have winter temperatures down
to -20°C but this has not happened the last winters, this very lasst one was
particularly mild.

C. moorei is pot grown and I find it troublesome in the sense that it starts to
grow its fan of leaves extremely early no later than February. As I overwinter
all my dormant bulbs in the cellar (there is no space for such giants in the
greenhouse) I end up with a pale fan of fresh leaves that needs very carful
acclimatising in May after all danger of frost is over. But it works and I have
several flower spikes on a mature bulb. I once tested an extra bulb in the open
garden but that died in the first winter. But that was long ago and I may not
have planted it deep enough. Never a sign of summer dormancy, even not in times
of neglect (has happened in the past) so I suspect different local races. The
leaves of my plant are usually cut down by the first frost, were they not, I
think the plant would remain practically evergreen with the new fan of leaves
replacing the old one. Have never tried this for lack of space but in some
autums I chopped the whole foliage with a sharp knife to be able to bring the
pot inside......

Greetings from Germany, Uli