From My Grandmother - A Bulb...

[Ann B.]

This is the bloom on a bulb that my grandmother gave me. I was at her home on the coast of Texas when she offered it to me. All she could tell me is that it had a very pretty dark pink flower.

Even though her soil was sandy and soft, I remember digging and digging and digging until I finally got to the bottom of the bulb. And the bulbs themselves were HUGE! I had never seen such large bulbs, and the one she gave me has happily multiplied... I will be sharing those with my family.

They are in bloom now!

http://www.landspro.com/images/bulb_ms.JPG

I think of my grandmother every time I see it. She was a fantastic cook, but not much on gardening. I loved her dearly. Everyone did.....

I received the gardening genes from my other grandmother, who was also a great cook, so I guess that explains my love for cooking also!

[JimRhodes]

Ann:

I don't know the name of that lily but I know I had several when I lived in the country up until about 4 years ago when I moved to town. They grew on the west side of the garage in an area that is almost always in the shade. They are very hardy plants--they can take a lot of abuse - even to the point of cutting them down. They can survive seemingly without water also.

Just my 2 cents worth!

[Tom]

I think it's one of the many Crinums.

Here is a picture of the one here:
It's called 'wine and Roses'

[Ann B.]

MMMmmm!

My neighbor, Ray, has one that looks just like that. It just finished blooming. Unfortunately, it has not multiplied so much that I would ask him for one, LAS!

Carolyn, my dear friend, Ray's wife, planted it, so I would not disturb it until it needs to be.

Does yours bloom this early, Tom?

I have some similar, but not the same that bloom later in the season. I will post a picture when they do. I think they may be related....

Thanks!

[sue salley]

Ann, I have a crinum that looks exactly like that. I will post a picture when it blooms. We were told to plant it very deep, But that might be so it will survive our winters which it has.

[Ann B.]

Sue,

These were planted very, very deep! I don't have them planted quite as deeply here because I reach really, hard red clay if I dig too deeply, and we get so very much rain. Except for lately.... BUt when it does rain, it comes down fast!

LAS!

[sue salley]

We have been in a draught for the last 3-4 yrs. but have made up for it this spring. When it rains it comes quick and hard here too. Has washed out the driveway a couple of times already but the pond is full for the first time in ages.
Forgot to mention that my crinum is all pink.

[John_NY]

Here are some other Crinums. I have lots of these, but I think the pink ones are prettier.

http://home.earthlink.net/~johnson29/crinumcrop.jpg

After they bloom, they form bulblets at the end of the stem, where the flower was. They're about the size of tulip bulbs.

http://home.earthlink.net/~johnson29/crinumseedsbulbs.jpg

[sue salley]

As promised here is a picture of my crinum lily finally in bloom:

[Ann B.]

Thanks, Sally!

That sure looks like my grandmother's, doesn't it?

Actually, we called her Mama Stella along with the rest of the people in town...

[Dazed_Lily]

Oh Boy ! Now I've perked up from my heat and drought induced doldrums !!!! These plants are FAN-tastic ! I love them but can't find much at all on the internet. I saw a couple of Floridian links. I'm zone 6...can they grow here ? I am really curious !:)

[sue salley]

We are zone 6b and this one has been there for several years. We were told to plant 18" deep, but we didn't as this is at the base of a rock.

[DaylilyDawn]

Originally posted by John_NY
Here are some other Crinums. I have lots of these, but I think the pink ones are prettier.

http://home.earthlink.net/~johnson29/crinumcrop.jpg

After they bloom, they form bulblets at the end of the stem, where the flower was. They're about the size of tulip bulbs.

http://home.earthlink.net/~johnson29/crinumseedsbulbs.jpg
John, do these white crinums you grow have a fragrance? I have been looking for a certain crinum that I don't know the name of but it has flowers like your white ones and it had a very lovely fragrance similar to that of a magnolia flower. I would be willing to swap some daylily seeds for one of the bulblets you posted picture of.

[Ann B.]

Unfortunately, none of mine have ever produced seeds or bulbils... Oh, well! But they do multiply quite fast.

Especially, this one....

http://www.landspro.com/images/crinum_wt_01.JPG

and another view...

http://www.landspro.com/images/crinum_wt_02.JPG

These came from my sister's ranch in Wheelock, TX. I had no idea what the foliage or the blooms looked like when my sister helped me dig them to bring home with me. The cattle kept them eaten to the ground.

I remember that they were planted very deeply and didn't seem to mind the droughts at the ranch. They are flourishing here.

They have a very light and wonderful fragrance. They bloom much later than the others. This is just a few of many blooms to come....

Enjoy!

[Dazed_Lily]

Sue Salley(or John in NY or anyone else zone 6 or below)- As a fellow Zone 6'er, is your crinium planted on the south side of the house ? And how low do the temps get there in winter ? Do you mulch it ?
Thanks,Cathy

[sue salley]

My Crinum is planted in front of the house facing south. It is beside a large rock. We don't mulch it. Due to the rock ledge in that area it is not planted very deep. I bought the bulb from a lady at a plant sell.

[sue salley]

Forgot to answer your other question. We do get below freezing occasionally. Maybe -10, but not usually for long.

[Dazed_Lily]

Hi ! I ordered crinum 'Ellen Bousanquet' for my Mom in Florida and they arrived there without planting instructions. I did a quick internet search and some say plant 8 inches to base and others say plant with neck above ground and mulch. Don't ask me why but I told her 'plant with neck above ground and mulch'. Is this right ? If not I guess she could throw more soil on top ;)
As she is in Florida they've got sandy soil.
Advice re (planting) depth ?
Thank You !

[Perennial Girl]

Ooooh that is soooooooo pretty. I would love one if you ever have any to spare. I'll been seeing alot about the crinums but they are hard to find here. I saw a Naked Donna (that could be real scary to see....lol) one that was selling for Cdn $20. That's to much for me..
:( Donna

[Ann B.]

My mother recently sold the place where we grew up and purchased a new home (much nicer). My youngest brother helped dig up some of her crinum. He tried to convince me to stop working and help, but it rained the entire Mardi Gras holidays, so he had to do it by himself after the holidays.

He called me afterwards and kept repeating, "Those bulbs are HUGE!" I said, "Tell me about it...", and he said, "but they are ENORMOUS!"

Some of these do get really, really large, and I think sometimes planting them deeper helps. For the most part, my soil tends to get hard the further down I dig, so I only go as far as I think I have to in order to keep them warm enough. Thank goodness, that is not very deep here. I had some live through the winter in a neglected pot with little or no soil, and they were on the north side of the house where it gets the bitter cold winds.

Go figure....

Since then, I have decided to plant my bulbs less deep than recommended. Remind me to take a picture of some garden Amaryllis in a 3 gallon pot that were not protected this winter. The biggest one is almost entirely out of the soil. The newly formed ones have almost pushed the Mama bulb out of the way, and she survived!

I guess the lesson is to plant only as deep as you need to plant them to protect from cold and in some cases, like mine, to give them enough exposure to cold to provide them the dormant period that they need.

Bulbs are FUN, easy and very forgiving! BTW, I left a tray of baby Amaryllis (non-garden type) unprotected, and they survived this winter! I think Amaryllis do better here in the nature rather than in the house! They may not bloom when I want them to, but they seem to do better. (More pictures to take for you...)

Enjoy!

[Ann B.]

One day, I am going to talk Ray into digging up a few of these for me....

These pictures were taken earlier today.

[Ann B.]

Another picture....

[Dazed_Lily]

How Stunning !
Mom's Ellen Bousanquet's started showing some green but have gotten shy. I told Mom that Crinums are that way. It might take a year or two to get going. I was actually surprised that they even did start to grow.
You are very fortunate gardening in the zone you are in!

[Perennial Girl]

Hi, Ann. That is such a beautiful color. I've never seen one like that before. Did you dig some up??? Were you able to get any extra???
:) Donna

[Ann B.]

Donna,

Unfortunately, these are best divided in the winter when they are dormant. So, I am afraid that I will have to wait....

In the meantime, I am enjoying the view!

[Hippifreak]

Ann~
Wow, 'Ray's Crinum' is a beauty!

There are many "Milk and Wine lilies" strewn all across the south, but this one has one unique quality that isn't often seen on them: the full circle curl of the tepals. That might indicate that it has something like C. fimbriatulum as a parent which isn't in the x herbertii cross.

I'd love to hear more about this particular clone of you know anything.......

Robert.

[Ann B.]

Sorry, but I don't even know where they got this bulb.

It is definitely a heavy multiplier. Ray has sold the house. Before he sold it, he told me that I could have one of the smaller clumps in the front, but the ground was too hard from the drought to dig it.

There is a new neighbor there now, and I will ask them if it is okay for me to dig up a smaller clump. I feel sure that they will let me. I have a sample collection of plants that were Carolyn's. Carolyn was Ray's wife and a good friend, so her plants are special to me and bring back lots of good memories.

[Ann B.]

Robert,

I am going to move this to bulbs forum. Thanks for finding it for me. LAS!!!! It will be a long time before I get everything moved to its proper place.

;)

[Hippifreak]

I thought it was in a strange place. I found it originally in a search and then when I went back to find it, it wasn't in 'Bulbs" where I thought it would be.

Good thing I posted to it and bumped it up.

Robert.

[Ann B.]

Here we go.....

[Ann B.]

Mama Stella's...

I tried to use a measuring tape, and then a baseball, but nothing showed the real size, so....

Here is one of them in my hand!

[Ann B.]

Another view...

This thing is HEAVY, and the hardest thing about digging them up is that you tend to cut them with a shovel because you don't realize how big they are.

Still, these are in need of dividing, so I am trying to get my mind off of school for awhle, and tend to these beauties...

[Ann B.]

Sue,

Did you ever figure out what the name of yours is? I do suspect that they are the same, but who knows? Marcelle, who is famous for hybridizing crinum is not that far away from the house where my grandmother lived for so many years.

Just curious... It doesn't matter! This particular crinum will always be special to me.

[sue salley]

Ann, I bought that one from a lady at a plant sale. It is at the farm and I don't have any idea what the name is. I have a new one at my house now that is pink. I bought it last year and it has multiplied already. I will post a picture when it blooms. I will also look up the name when I get a picture.

[Ann B.]

Well, obviously, I did not dig them all. In fact, I only dug up a few.

These blooms surprised me today. There are 14 flower buds (that I can see so far).

I guess that I will wait to divide the rest of them and let them bloom first.

Pretty! Since I do not know the name, I call it "Mama Stella". That is what everyone called my grandmother (especially the grandchildren, but even unrelated adults called her that).

[Ann B.]

Just like my Mama Stella always was...

[Ann B.]

Another scape...

[Ann B.]

And still another to open...

(I haven't ventured to the back fence to see if those are blooming yet. They need to be moved because they are now in too much shade, but GEE! They don't seem to mind too much water or too much drought)

Gotta love them!

[Dazed_Lily]

Could the raspberry one be Ellen Bousanquet ?

[Ann B.]

It's a very good possibility, but I will probably never know for sure.

Does anyone know if these bulbs get almost the size of a football?

This one was a pass along to my grandmother, and she lived within a reasonable distance of Marcelle, the crinum hybridizer in Conroe, TX so it may very well NOT be a marketed bulb.

It's really nice, isn't it?

[Dazed_Lily]

Oh well, as the saying goes: a rose by any other name would smell as sweet !

I found this link while searching for the hybridizer of EB(duh, his name was Bousanquet) but notice how this person indicates they got their bulbs in Katy Texas. She says 8" bulbs. Gee, yours are bigger than that.
http://www.crinum.us/eb1.htm


They are very pretty . Enjoy !

[Ann B.]

Lexington is about half way between where Bob in Texas is (Austin) and my sister's ranch (near Bryan College Station), and probably an hour to hour and a half drive from my grandmother's house, so it is quite possible!

Are some Crinum hardy in Kansas?

[Dazed_Lily]

I do not think they are hardy in Kansas. I am sure that a nice microclimate pocket would sustain them , but in general, probably not hardy ;-(

[sue salley]

Cathy, Some might be hardy for you. There are some hardy in my zone 6. I have Powellii that has done well. It has only been in the ground for 2 years and has already developed an off shoot. When it multiplies more I will send you a bulb to try. There is a picture on the site you showed us.

[Dazed_Lily]

Wow ! That would be awesome if they could grow here. :cool:

[Ann B.]

Cathy,

Do you have the space for a trial run? These particular bulbs get huge, so you plant them really, really deep.

I wouldn't be surprised that they 'might' survive if you planted them deep enough that the ground would not freeze.

Do you know how deep that would be?

[Dazed_Lily]

Sure I've got space. The thing about crinums is I think they need to be planted with their necks out. I have a south side which stays warm through winter. My lycoris wintered in a pot just fine over there and the daylilies that I had over there stayed green through winter, so I'd say it's a good microclimate.
PM me about estimated postage because I'd love to have those beauties growing here ! :D

[Ann B.]

This particular variety has extremely LONG necks which allows them to be planted VERY deeply.

I will send you one big one and one small one. The small one you should pot up and the larger one goes in the ground.

How does that sound?

When I shovel, sometimes I cut one in half, or just nick a piece, and if it contains some of the basal plate, you just let it dry for a day or two, plant it, and it will grow.

They are amazing!

[sue salley]

The first one I bought was from a lady at a plant sale. I bought just the bulb for about $3 She said to plant them 12" deep. There was a rock where we planted it so we couldn't go that deep but it has survived well. The one I have now is only planted about 8" deep and is doing well. I did mulch it a little extra last fall. I'd say you can grow them in Kansas.

[Dazed_Lily]

:D Sue- I am still laughing over "planting over a rock". You must have been tired and decided that was it ! I know that feeling--moreso with tree roots ! I will be thrilled to plant one of these lovelies and mulched as you recommend.

[sue salley]

Cathy,
The dumb man planted it, not me. Actually there is a big rock behind it which probably holds in some heat. THe whole area was rather rocky so nothing was planted very deeply. It was a nice rock garden.
Mine at my house is planted by the concrete porch so that also holds some heat. I just put an extra shavel full of mulch. The poor thing came up early and got frost bit twice. But now the leaves are huge and I am hoping for a good bloom season from it this year. This is it's second year here. I bought it of e-bay for about 4 bucks.