Dear PBS friends in Cooler zones,

Please be aware that some Crinum do very well in cooler zones and
are not ALL plants for milder climates. I have been growing a variety of
Crinum species and hybrids for decades and am shocked when good gardeners
don’t believe they grow in the ground and are not dug every winter. I have
average winter lows of 0F and lower, summer high above 100 F. All Crinum
appreciate abundant watering here, but my climate is very dry most seasons.

One of the easiest and cheapest to try if you doubt my words is C.
x powellii although I do not recommend it. It is totally hardy, vigorous
and floriferous, but its flowers are not especially attractive with narrow
petals and pale wimpy pink. It is may be too vigorous and spread rapidly.
Fortunately it does not produce seed, but the clump expands yearly. There
are so many MUCH better Crinums.

One of the nicest and easiest is C. bulbispermum. It is very easy
from seed if given a very little care when it is young. In decades of
growing this here I do not think I have had any self sown seedlings. I
just sent a pile of seed to the Seed Ex. Seed must be planted immediately
as they do not keep long and will germinate in or out of the soil. Press
fresh seed into damp soil or sand only about 1/2 deep as they need light to
germinate. A large root will emerge and go into the soil. Soon after a
single thin leaf will emerge . Wait until the second leaf then cover the
seed with an inch of soil. If you have one seed per pot keep this seedling
frost free over the first winter. If you have a pot of seedlings transfer
to 1 seed to a pot for winter care. In spring after frost you can either
move it to a larger pot until fall or plant it right in a sunny spot in
the garden. Either way it is ready for the garden. It may take a year or 2
or 3 before it blooms, but it will. It is slow to form a clump, but will
bloom for years.

There are many excellent Crinum for the northern garden, but a few
comments:

“Super Ellen”. Huge abundant flowers, but gets to 6 ft tall and a
spread of 8 to 10 ft or more. Not for the small garden.Gorgeous flowers.

‘Glory’ a smaller plant, but similar to ’Super Ellen’.

C. powellii ‘Alba’ a pure white form of this hybrid, but with
nicely formed pure white flowers.

‘Cecil Houdyshel’ a nice pink x powelli type.

Many others. I should mention a couple that have not grown for
me, but are abundant and popular in the southern : ‘Ellen Bousanquet’ , x
herbertii , ‘“Milk and Wine” types all proved too tender here. Avoid C
asiatum and variants.

And finally if this has sparked any interest go to the PBS image
pages for species and hybrids. Start here:
https://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

Do consider finding room for at least one Crinum in Zone 5 and
certainly in Zone 6 . enjoy Jim

On Jul 5, 2020, at 9:10 AM, Tim Eck via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

Thanks Jim,
I live in zone 6B, about 60 miles due west of Philadelphia but I overwinter
the pots in an unheated greenhouse. I am starting to plant some out in a
field this year for the first time. My Super Ellen has produced very few
seed over the years, but this could be one of them.
Or it could be a migrating tag. I have occasional helpers re-potting and
they don't always pick up the same tag they lay down - a source of great
frustration.
Tim

On Sun, Jul 5, 2020 at 9:36 AM James Waddick via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

beautiful.

and

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Dr. James Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd
Kansas City, MO 64152-2711
USA
Phone 816-746-1949

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