Crinum macowanii

[Heinie]

One of my Crinum macowanii in flower now. There a lovely fragrance too. This is a first time flower for this bulb.

[Maggi Young]

My word! That is a stunning flower. I would love to have the facilities here to be able to make a collection of such beauties.

[Heinie]

It is nice to have space of the size of our plots. My plot is 1600 square meters and so are most of the older plots in Cape Town suburbs. Nowadays they sub divide these size plots and build four houses on this size plot because housing has become very expensive in our terms in Cape Town and surrounds.

[jshields]

Maggi,

Macowanii is a very beautiful Crinum, and it ought to be hardy outdoors in zone 7.  I have to grow mine in large pots because I don't think they would survive in the ground in my garden here in zone 5.  Some [bulbispermum x macowanii] did survive a few years in the ground here, before I chickened out and potted them up.  Now they spend the winters in a heated shed.  Crinum variabile is however quite hardy outdoors in the ground here in zone 5.  That sure surprised me!

Jim

[Maggi Young]

Jim, I can't get Crinum to survive, nor quite a lot of similar beauties that I have attempted over the years. I have often thought it was the summer wet rather than the winter cold that killed them... but, whatever... they're all dead! 

[Paul T]

Maggi,

Have you buried the bulbs quite deeply to try them?  I've heard that some will do well in colder climates when you bury them with their bulbs a foot underground.  I realise you're colder than me (not entirely sure exactly how much, but you're definitely colder) and I've never had any problems with them during our winters, even in quite small pots where they're definitely getting the bulbs themselves very cold.  Probably colder in those pots than they would get with you in the ground?  We do get warmer during the day in winter as well though, so they never ever remain below freezing during the day.  That is a big help.... it allows us a lot of things I think that would otherwise not like even our level of cold.  But we do of course get the hot and dry summers, and they thrive here.

[Maggi Young]

Yes Paul, they've been buried deep... the last time we tried there were pictures of on the Bulb Log of the half dug hole and me pretending to bury Lily the dog 

[steveball1966]

It is difficult in the UK to grow these but I have managed so far this year it has been easy being the first time with a new heated greenhouse i have aways used a walk in plastic greenhouse with a lot of mulch and that has worked.The summer can be difficult with the rain to the point where I have built makeshift umbrellas for them.I always grow them in pots as its easy to provide drainage usually a mixture of sand compost and perlite .

[Maggi Young]

It is difficult in the UK to grow these but I have managed so far this year it has been easy being the first time with a new heated greenhouse i have aways used a walk in plastic greenhouse with a lot of mulch and that has worked.The summer can be difficult with the rain to the point where I have built makeshift umbrellas for them.I always grow them in pots as its easy to provide drainage usually a mixture of sand compost and perlite .

Where in the UK are you?

 I agree a heated greenhouse could be a help!

[steveball1966]

I am in Brighouse West Yorkshire so we get cold winters and wet summers the problem is summer and giving the the plant the predominately dry climate with occasional rain. so that why protecting the bulb from too much rain is vital therefore an umbrella.Too much rain and these bulbs will rot

[Maggi Young]

Yes, a similar climate to here.... not ideal for these Southern Hemisphere gems.