I think Jim Shields found C. variabile to be as hardy for him as bulbispermum and he created hybrids of the two. Plant Delights had them but may not offer them. I don't think scabrum is very hardy but its cross with bulbispermum (Herbertii) is fairly hardy (6B?). I lost a lot of Herbertii to a cold winter this year. Cold and wet will kill a lot of things - so you can effectively gain two zones by raking leaves over them in the fall and covering with plastic. I have crosses of bulbispermum and variabile with lots of others like hardyi, ligulatum, lavranii, macowanii, firmifolium, carolo-schmidtii, fimbriatulum, oliganthum, erubescens, and some hybrids that should be hardy to zone 6 or 7. Tim Eck When a philosopher says something that is true, then it is trivial. When he says something that is not trivial, then it is false. Gauss > -----Original Message----- > From: pbs [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Ernie DeMarie > via pbs > Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2015 8:09 AM > To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > Cc: pelarg@aol.com > Subject: Re: [pbs] Crinum - 'Super Ellen' > > Hi Jim, > It may take a year or two for my Super Ellen to get to blooming size, but I am > definitely excited about its potential. Are there other hybrids/species you > have found to be very cold tolerant in your experience that I should be > looking for? No one up here is growing crinums, at least that I know of. > Ernie > > Briarcliff Manor NY Z7ish/6 > > ---- > > > Dear Ernie and all, > > Crinum x powellii album is far superior from typical x powellii. Very > hardy here and reliable even in drought years. Takes a few years to settle in. > > I really have to put in a HUGE plug for 'Super Ellen’. The old ‘Ellen > Bousanquet’ is not hardy here at all. A couple years and then a cold winter > gets it. I’ve had 'Super Ellen' for a number of years .Now the flower stalks are > at eye height ( 6 ft + or -), huge richly colored flowers and long lasting. At one > time this season I had a dozen stalks in the clump in bloom all at once. WOW. > > Came through cold and heat equally well, but give it a lot of room. > Leaves splay out 6 or more feet in each directionamd huge flower stalks. I > LOVE IT and heartily recommend it. > > Give it some room and time- some extra > water now and then and fertilizer and you will hopefully be thrilled too. Hard > to believe this is a totally hardy perennial here in Kansas City on the prairie. > > Jim W. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/