Crinum

[Alessandro.marinello]

Photos of Crinum today in flower

 Crinum x Ellen Bosanquet
 Crinum amoenum
 Crinum yemense
 Crinum yemense1.
 Crinum yemense2.
 Crinum yemense3.

[ArnoldT]

Late flowering.

Crinum Rose Parade.

[majallison]

Alessandro, I thought 'Ellen Bosanquet' had deep pink or reddish flowers?

Malcolm

[Alessandro.marinello]

Alessandro, I thought 'Ellen Bosanquet' had deep pink or reddish flowers?

Malcolm

I would have preferred, but they are clear pink

[Ezeiza]

That's not 'Ellen Bosanquet', Alessandro. The color is a deepest cherry rose or deep lipstick pink, difficult to describe, but very intense.

[Alberto]

Alessandro, Alberto (from Argentina) is right, it is not 'Ellen Bosanquet'; here it is:

[Alessandro.marinello]

Alberto and Alberto
what has sold me the merchant

[jshields]

It might interest some to know that we can grow several crinum species and hybrids outdoors in the ground all year round here in central Indiana, USA.  We are in USDA cold zone 5, minimum temperature averaging about -10°F (ca. -23 C), but recently somewhat milder.  The ground freezes every winter, from at least 4 inches deep down some years to as deep as 3 feet (ca. 90 cm).  Besides the hardy x-powellii, we find bulbispermum to be just as hardy, and surprisingly, Crinum variabile is even hardier here.

Some hybrids besides x-powellii are hardy here:  [bulbispermum x lugardiae], [variabile x bulbispermum], and some [bulbispermum x macowanii].  The [variabile x bulbispermum] are particularly attractive with lots of red on the flowers.

C. lugardiae from Natal is not hardy here, but lugardiae from Namibia is almost hardy here -- it lasted through a couple of winters before disappearing, and never bloomed.  I have not really tested macowanii outdoors in the ground yet.  Maybe the form from Namibia might survive here?

[jshields]

I might make one point about my "hardy" crinums:  I don't plant Crinum bulbs outdoors in the ground until they reach at least 2 inches diameter.  Bulbs smaller than that tend not to make it through the first winter.

The hardy bulbs pull themselves down to considerable depths, given enough time.  To give them time, I mulch them the first couple of winters.  The bases of older bulbs of [bulbispermum x lugardiae] can be about 18 inches below the surface.