Mama's Crinum

[Ann B.]

She really has plenty of them, so I'm going to talk my brother into digging me up a few of these this winter.

Look at the blooms! This is one scape...

[Ann B.]

This is what I mean by "She has plenty!"

[Ann B.]

And around the corner, there are more...

[MichiganDave]

Beautiful flowers!

Tell her she has too many, that they look too crowded and messy and bla bla bla, and that for the sake of the plants you are willing to help her dig some out. :p :D

[Ann B.]

Thanks, Dave!

They are quite pretty. I wish I knew what kind they are! There are so many varieties and most of them are not marketed. They are simply 'passed along'.

I'm sure she won't mind my digging up a few. She has a huge clump of those pink ones that I dug up from my grandmother's house (years ago).

What amazes me about this one is the sheer count of the blooms Amazing!

[haweha]

The umbel in the uppermost picture consists of at least 25 indiv. flowers. That is plenty! And certainly these are well-scented, aren't they?!

[stp445]

Crinum ID
This is a Crinum X herbertii variant often refered to as "Milk and Wine". They are crosses of Scabrum and bulbispermum.
John
PS: Crinums are an Amaryllis Family plant and last longer than the owners.

[Ann B.]

OH! Thank you, John!

I was wondering if it was the same as 'Milk and Wine'.

Hans-Werner, I noted a slight scent, but not very strong. Perhaps, it was the time of the day and the lack of rain? I dunno... I'll pay more attention the next time that I visit.

Fun! Aren't they?!?!

[stp445]

ANN ----- Don't make me get started on my Crinums. I know youall thought, John only deals in Hippies, well, I'm in the whole Amaryllis family that includes Crinum the generation plant passed from mother to daughter and on and on and on. You are going to make me post a pix. of my "Queen Emma" the only purple leafed Crinum, that is in a 20 gallon pot in the shade of my Arizona Ash tree setting in a cement tub of water. It is about 5 feet tall. I have others and almost all Crinums have a faint to strong scent. I also have the only yellow blooming crinum a native of Australia. They have not bloomed yet as small but plan on crossing with hippies. I also have a variegated green and white and a golden yellow leafed.
John

[Ann B.]

You are kidding me?

As you can see, Crinum love it here!

I can't tell you the number of times that I drove through Conroe, Texas on the way to my sister's ranch and had no clue that this beautiful town contained Marcelle's wonderful creations.

John, I have been growing hippeastrum for a very long tme. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but Crinum were simply something that was growing massively in everyone's yard. I had no idea that there were so many exotic varieties!

Please do... Post pics!

[stp445]

Corpus Christi, Beeville, Rockport, Aransas Pass, Kingsville all here in South Texas are homes of Crinum hybrids and our nurseries don't even carry them as they are passed from one house to the next and everybody has some and most don't even know what they are. And, as in Alabama coast so many don't know what is really out there and how beautiful they are and the colors.
John

[Ann B.]

John,

I suppose that I should get started on crinum. You see... I have never tried to hybridize them because all I have are the hand me down varieties that I have gotten from here and there.

Still, I love them, and I should add more to my landscape. Given time, I will, but goodness knows, I have my hands full!

We would love to see your pics!

[stp445]

Scadoxus multiflorus native of South Africa thrives in the South from zone 8a into Mexico. Enjoys filtered 50% shade and damp but not wet bulbs and depending on the heat will bloom in June- July time frame. This one is just starting to open.

[sue salley]

The promise of things to come:

[stp445]

Scadoxus from South Africa, Amaryllis Family

[stp445]

Crinum Asiaticum "Golden Crinum" also St. John's Lily

[stp445]

Crinum Asiaticum "Varagated"

[stp445]

Swamp lilies -- Crinum erubesens -- Can grow in regular semi-tropical soil but i t prefers the swamp and I grow mine in pots setting in 4 cubic foot cement tubs filled with water to 3-4 inches most of the year. I do decrease the water to 1-2 inches in the Winter. erubesens should always be confined to a pot as they spread by root runners and will crop up all over your yard if loose. They can be confined to areas by using pond liners in the ground or small children's pool buried to the rim works quite well. Even though they will hold water till evaporation the crinum will not rot in the wet soil.

[stp445]

Purple leafed form of Crinum procerum, "Queen Emma". Named for the last native monarch of Hawaii, she is remembered for her love of the plants. This specimen is 4 feet tall and a spread of 5 feet with a trunk of 6". These have been known to grow to 6 to 8 feet tall as 'tree crinums'. She has numerous off shoots which will be removed this fall and given their own pot. The current pot is a 20 gallon pot. One of the "bad" things about Crinum as with ALL Amaryllis family plants they DO NOT like to be moved and sometimes will not bloom for a year or two and must have at least 1/2 day of sun to all day sun.

[stp445]

The following is only a part of my asst. of Crinum plants. They are so hardy that I have over 2 dozen varieties that all live outside and I love the unusual ones like Crinum Thaianum which grows completely under water and is sometimes seen in fresh water fish tanks, and "Sangria" that has a Deep wine - red folage and iridescent pink blooms.

[abbyjen]

That is a nice collection of Crinums you have there John.

I only have one and no idea what it is, perhaps when it blooms next summer you may be kind enough to ID it for me.

Sure will be nice when winter is over.

Abby :)

[Ann B.]

John,

That is amazing! I adore Crinum, and it is a shame that I have not collected more of them because they love our environment.

In fact, I was trying to dig up one that came from my sister's ranch. I was going to send one to you and one to Hippiefreak (Robert), but at the time, we were short of rain AND I broke my favorite bulb digging shovel. It's my fault... Over the last 30 years, I have left it outside too many times only to find it weeks later.

Anyway, this morning, I bought one that is NOT a wooden handle. That means, I can keep it on the porch and it will be more readily available to me.

I really do adore crinum! You can neglect them and they multiply like crazy! They just keep coming back, year after year!

[stp445]

Ann and All you others,
Subject: Shovels
To all those who do not have a shovel, what are you doing on a gardening forum ? Ha! Ha!
For your next replacement shovel there are two types now.
I have solid steal D handled shovel that is my work horse. I also have a solid long handled fiberglass which is still awkward due to the working end being heavier than the handle but, it is great for the big jobs. I also have a long handled wooden but with a solid steel shank on the back of the shovel for those times when you want to "pry" so the yoke of the shovel doesn't bend.
Also, I have numerous small trowels of all designs that are susposed to be easier than the others and I have not found that any of them beats the EL CHEAPO Dollar store trowel.
John

[Ann B.]

John,

My neighbor has one that they have nick named "Digger". I love "Digger", but unfortunately, it is theirs and not mine.

Digger is not comfortable to the feminine hands, but this is no problem. The handle is long and very heavy. I don't know if it is cast iron or what, but the true nicety of this shovel seems to be that the digging edges have been sharpened. So, all you have to do is spot where you wish to dig, hold the shovel vertically and high and let it fall into place. Chunk! Into the earth it goes.

Digger has a personality that I adore and one day, I may just get my brother to make me something like a Digger!

My top soil is not that hard, but under the first few inches is hardened and compacted soil. It is not easy to dig. Oh, there are a few of my gardens that I have amended well enough that it is easy to dig, but I don't dig there very much because the shrubs, etc. are well established. No digging needed....

I have a tiller, but it is too big and heavy for me to use especially in this heat. One day, I hope to get a really small, easy to handle one.

Oh! How I miss the sandy loam where I grew up. If I decide to move (unlikely), I will look at the soil first and make sure that there is LOTS of sandy loam!

John, I have gone through many Dollar Store trowels, and you are right, it is hard to beat the price!

[stp445]

Stage one of the bloom of Crinum Erubescens, more will come later. Note !! the purplish scape at the bottom and the outsides of the blooms are yellow but, will turn white later.

[stp445]

This is day # 2 on the bloom. It is starting to turn up toward the sun and the yellow is more prominent now, and there are six (6) smaller blooms ready to open.

[stp445]

Day # 3, pix ; maybe in the morning. we are showing dark rainy clouds but, nothing yet.

[stp445]

Day # 4 pix. Just enough rain to make things wet, put the dust on your car and otherwise drop the temp to 85 degrees with 99% humidity and no wind. You get a free sauna.

[Ann B.]

Yeah!

Tell me about the spa! I do understand. According to weather.com, it looks like your weather is about to be like mine. I hope so!

My brother dug up a few of the crinum for me. They are now sitting in plastic bags in the shade and will be planted in the morning when it is cooler. The bulbs are HUGE,much bigger than a softball!


Amazing!

[stp445]

Erubescens on day # 5

[Dazed_Lily]

Gorgeous Crinum John ! I can't wait to see the blooms on the Erubesens ! I adore Queen Emma. You are so very right about crinum not liking to be moved; they not only sulk but pout !

[sue salley]

Okay guys I am going to move mine this fall to a sunnier spot. Any tips on when to do that or anything else. It is just gotten way too big for where it is and doesn't get enough sun. THe blooms were very small this year. But I have another scape coming up. There is also a smaller one that came up last year, should I divide them or can i leave them together? ANy advice appreciated.

[stp445]

Dazed --- I will tilt my camera up and you can see my big 5 foot tall Queen Emma in the background.

Sue --- First get plenty of rest and a sharp shovel. Move it after it is finished blooming and enough time to reset roots. My guess would be August. And, as Dazed repeated they don't like to be moved but you can't kill one. As to removing "pups" I use as a general rule 'if it is as big as your thumb' it can come off into its own pot or space. (All of mine are in pots) I have an Emma from last year and will have another this year and my pot is getting small for my Emma so I will go up some more in pot size. If you are moving to another part of the yard I would use one fist full of Gypsum in and around the new hole per inch of 'trunk'. Water in daily for 3 days than stop and wait a week and give 1 tablespoon of low N or NO N and high P and K per one inch of trunk and the same a month later. Lastly mulch in real well for the winter.

[stp445]

This is for Dazed, "Queen Emma"

[stp445]

For Dazed and the others "Queen Emma" is expecting. Note the little round bump at the base along with the off shoots.

[stp445]

Erubscens #6 on the morning of day 6. WARNING STAY TUNED !!!

[stp445]

Erubscens # 7 Evening of day 6.

[abbyjen]

It looks as if it all has been worth waiting for
Abby

[stp445]

Erubscens # 8 close up of bloom. Smells like a lemon rind crushed ALL over the back yard and neighbor came over to look as she could smell it. Bloom is white with dark purple pistil and stamens. It is 7 1/2 inches from tip to tip and there are 6 of them.

[abbyjen]

Absolutely adorable
Abby

[stp445]

Erubescens # 9 day 7 (I think) anyway they have all bent the leaves back and enter twined to make a big white ball. Neighbors still smelling them in the evening.

[Ann B.]

John,

I do adore them ALL! Crinum could soooooo easily become an addiction for me. We are fortunate to be able to grow them in the ground.

My brother dug up a few of Mama's, and she brought them over a few days ago. I am just now getting them planted. They were huge! I had to wait for an afternoon that it didn't rain.

OH! I love it when the ground is so nice and soft. :)

I still have one smaller one to plant. I may just pot it up for now.

Cheers! And keep showing us more blooms!!!!!!!!!! :D

[stp445]

I'm just going to wait till they open but, I now have a C. Scabum "Peppermint" (white with light purple stripe) and "Ellen Bosanquet a very nice RED just about to open and I can already smell the "Peppermint".

[abbyjen]

I was wondering where the peppermint fragrance was coming from :D

[stp445]

Crinum scabrum "Peppermint" with one bloom open of 6 showing. Blooms 4 1/2" from tip to tip and smells like "White Shoulders".

[stp445]

"Peppermint" With 4 of 6 blooms open.

[stp445]

First Pix of Crinum "Ellen Bosanquet"

[abbyjen]

Ellen Bosanquet should make a terrific close up - I can hardly wait for it to emerge :)

[stp445]

Your request is my command --- Crinum "Ellen Bosanquet"

[stp445]

"Ellen Bosanquet" 4 of 7 blooms open, 4 1/2" tip to tip. Smells like faint Gardenia.

[Ann B.]

John,

It looks similar to the one that I dug up from my Grandmother's house in Palacios, TX.

See what you think...

[stp445]

Ann --- It is the same I'm having trouble with my camera and RED and that was as good as I got but, it is an "Ellen". Although my pix is not quite right I still like the pix. Looks kinda sexy.

[Ann B.]

Indeed!!!! ;)

Sort of dreamy...

But then again, I have always been a dreamer, and I still firmly believe that one day they will come true!

Just wait until you see a huge clump of those blooming in your yard, all at once. I don't have a huge clump, but there are two houses that are on my way to school that have have enormous clumps. They were absolutely gorgeous!!!!

And I dream of mine looking like that someday. :cool:

[Dazed_Lily]

Thank you for taking those photos John ! I'm still in awe of technology and am amazed at the thought of being able to walk outside somewhere in the world, photograph a plant,and in minutes send it around the world ! Thanks for bringing your garden to us ! :cool:

[sue salley]

Ann yours looks a lot like mine. I present Crinum Powelii

[abbyjen]

Sue
What is the blue car in the background? It reminds me of a Mazda Eunos 30X I owned until recently. Of course cars there are different to here, its just looking at the photo it reminded me of it

Abby

[sue salley]

Abby,
That is my daughter's Mitsubishi Eclipse. Nice little car. I drove it when my old truck was torn up. I wish it was a little better on gas though. The old truck can go forever on a tank. How much is gas there?

[stp445]

Seed on Crinum look strange, the following are examples.
Seed of Crinum Erubiscens which are elongated.

[stp445]

Seed for Crinum "Peppermint" are egg shaped. The pix is poor but, the first seed is in the center and others are forming around it. The seed is planted by just pushing it into the soft wet ground and I even let a little show, they don't take too long to germ.

[stp445]

The following is Crinum "J. C. Harvey" a light pink smallish bloom with a very sweet smell. A very prolific producer of off shoots.

[stp445]

Crinum "Queen Emma" the last monarch of Hawaii. Also refered to as a 'Tree Crinum' on the Islands this is 4 1/2 feet tall.

[stp445]

The bloom as a whole is about 12 - 14" across and each individual is about 4" across. The second scape is opening. It has the aroma of all spice.

[Ann B.]

Hey, All!

You know how I get when I talk about propagation. It's so much FUN and so Amazing!

Well, I have to tell you a story....

When my brother dug up a few of my Mom's crinum, one of them had a completely severed basal plate. I said, "That won't root. The basal plate is gone." He said, "Yes, it will!" I said, "You don't understand. No, it won't. There is no basal plate. He said, "Yes, it will!"

So, I didn't argue and stuck the huge bulb under the hydrangeas to cure the cut edges a bit. Then, I prompty forgot about it. To be honest, I figured it would rot away to nothingness.

Well, it didn't. The wounds calloused, and there must have been some inner basal plate left because it now has roots.

Go figure!!!! The old sister is not always right. Bro was!

Here are some pics. Keep in mind that this bulb has undergone being under a bush at 26 degrees or so. OH, MY GOSH!

How FUN can it get!:rolleyes:

[Rowan]

I love the crinum lily pictures. I bought my first one at (of all places) Wal-Mart. They called it a South African Lily. It didn't bloom the first year (grumpy at being moved I suppose), but bloomed the second and this past year and produced one fairly large offspring which I cut off this fall and put into its own pot.
And I found a great sourse for other interesting Crinum is.....E-bay!! Go figure. I've gotten some great plant bargains there--mostly from people who had too many plants, or had plants that came from an older relatives' house or farm. And you can't beat the prices if you keep an eye on shipping costs. I've found Crinum lilies, a lot of 50+ bearded iris for under $20, 55 saffron crocus for under $20, and 50+ iris dietes grandiflora for under $20, and 2 lbs of "bare naked ladies" for the same low price. I've also found ginger plants, walking iris, Japanese iris, and seeds from Australia, South America, and Tasmania that I'm itching to get going as spring gets nearer.

[Ann B.]

Kim,

I'm afraid that if I let myself, I would become a crinum freak! They are so gorgeous when they become really established which doesn't take very many years here. They love all the excessive rain fall, and since they are buried deep, I don't think I ever have to worry about hardiness.

Yep! I'm spoiled when it comes to some of these bulbs, but Lililium is more difficult for me. They seem to do best in pots rather than in the ground. Perhaps that lets their feet get more chilled.

This morning, I ventured to Sam's Club and what a mistake! They had bulbs galore as well as grape vines, perennials, clematis, elephant ears, caladiums, Dahlias, gladiolus you name it!

The mistake was spotting the mixed package with red and white crinum, elephant ears and white caladium all in one for $13.88 or something like that. The crinum were almost the size of a softball, and I couldn't resist. These are noids, but that is okay. There were 2 in the package, 15 caladium and I think 2 elephant ears.

I ALWAYS get bulb fever this time of the year...

[Rowan]

Here's my Wal Mart crinum. I took the picture with my cell phone.

[MichiganDave]

This morning, I ventured to Sam's Club and what a mistake! They had bulbs galore as well as grape vines, perennials, clematis, elephant ears, caladiums, Dahlias, gladiolus you name it!

Sigh.... maybe I should join Sam's Club.

[stp445]

Sorry everybody about not writing lately, I'm in the middle of a HUGE project.
Anyway I just moved (2) two 6 foot tall Crinum Procerum "Queen Emma" at the South Texas Botanical Gardens ( http://stxbot.org ) yesterday and brought them from a dark spot into the light. They started blooming in November here and the last bloom scape just wilted so I moved them to a better spot. They will be in with other Amaryllids in a bed over 1000 sq feet containing the most Amaryllids in one area of any public gardens in the USA, come and see us.
John

[Ann B.]

Dave,

I adore Sam's Club, but they have a nasty habit of not opening until 10am, and even though I am not by nature a morning person, I am forced to be that way and prefer shopping earlier. Ie., I don't go there very often, but they do have some great perennial and bulb deals from time to time and several other things that I purchase from time to time in bulk.

Kim! You did great with the photo! I knew you could do it! It looks a lot like my grandmother's which is fantastic every year.

John! It's about time that you came back, and thanks for the referrals, Kim, included! There are times that I wished that I could live in Corpus Christi, not so many frosts/freezes!

All is well here, and I feel more comfortable with the greenhouse plastic installed on my porch. Only one semi-major disaster, though. My bro put the large tub of potting mix inside the porch, and it is so crowded that I couldn't get to it. So, I popped the staples, moved it back outside and tacked the plastic back into place.

I needed the tub of potting mix to pot up the Garden Amaryllis...

31 degrees tonight, much colder tomorrow night!

[Rowan]

31 degrees? Send some of that "tropical" heat our way! The temperature hasn't been over 15 degrees for six days.

[Ann B.]

Kim,

It is going to get 25 or below tonight, and for me, that is an arctic FREEZE!

Honest to goodness, I do not know how you all make it through days on end that never get above freezing.

That would be a whole new world for me, and at my age, I am not sure that I could endure it. OMG, though! Snow is so very FUN and pretty!

[DaylilyDawn]

I love all the pictures of the crinums. Johna I am searching for one that has a scent that is a combination of lily of the valley and lemon overtones. I remember the clump of the crinum that bllomed at a house I lived in when I was a teenager. At the time I did not know what kind of plant it was, although I did think it was in the amaryrillis family. I do have a few now that came from a friend in the Daylily Chat hosted Mby Mike Longo. It has closed now so I no longer can contact her. She sent me several bulbs from Miss. I have them planted on the north side of my house which gets more shade in the afternoon than the front or back yard.They are a skinney petaled flower with some pink blushing on the flower.

[stp445]

DL Dawn - I'm asking the expert on the crinum with the LOTV-Lemon scent. He should come up with something.
Crinums are members of the Amaryllid Family. All Amaryllids should be considered poisonous.
I was helping out a man with arthritis with a bed of WAY overgrown crinum. I had to dig up the whole bed and replant it but, I got in return about 170 crinum. I'm waiting on more conformation but it looks like they are Crinum Amoenum from the low river mountains of India. Sometimes they are imported and sold as "White Spider Lilies" with NO mention that they are crinums not lilies, need shade, a little more moisture than the ave. crinum and the bloom only lasts 2 days at the most, though quite striking.
Thanks to the American "business man" the rest of us have to fix the problems created by people who sell plant material that have NO IDEA what they are selling or how to take care of it.
John

[DaylilyDawn]

Thank you for contacting the expert, John. I remember that plant because of its fragrance. Any time it was in bloom, if it rained the fragrance would get stronger. With no rain it still had fragrance but it was very light, not strong like after a rain. I do not know if the plant is still at that house since I moved away from there more than 35 years ago. I could make a visit to the place and see if it is still there one day. At the time I lived there , the plant was huge , it stood waist high on my brother who was about 6 ft tall as a teenager.

When my crinums on the north side of the house start blooming again, I will post a picture of the blooms in this thread. They bloom almost nostop in the summer.

[stp445]

DL DAWN - Expert's reply: Mrs. James Hendry - Liquorice; Jaqus (all) - Vanilla; and my in put: Procrinum "Queen Emma" - All Spice and all the others just sweet, no mention of the one LOTV and lemonish. But, if the plant still alive talk them out of some and send it to me.
I now am the owner of an unnamed LA Iris as with Excellent pix no one can ID it. Also, 30 more NOID LA Iris that I potted up today and some Crinum Asiaticum (small) (a 12" pot full) which should get potted tomorrow.
I went up the coast to Rockport,Tx. to check on a lady's two big pots of Clivia as to why they were not blooming (recent re-potting) and for my trouble she gave me 9 Liycoris Aurea (Golden Spider lily) ranging from 12 to 20 cm round. These are now in with my Reds and one White.
As you can see I'm very busy right now as our days are in the 70's and nights mid to upper 40's and things will start popping in about 4-6 weeks. And my nursery inspection is due before the end of the month.
John

[DaylilyDawn]

I will have to talk to hubby to drive over ther one day after school is out. I am a school crossing guard and have to be home during the day so I am not late to go out on the crossing. I will let you know if I am successful about talking them out of at least one bulb of it.

[Ann B.]

Now, blooming in my yard...

These were taken very early this morning. They were so pretty that I just had to get my camera and take a few shots.

[stp445]

If not identified before I will call this one a beautiful specimen of Crinum bulbispermum (aka: Milk and Wine Lily) exact variety unknown as there are some really beautiful varieties. The differences are very small on some but, you have a real winner. There are some experts out there that could get you down to one or two varieties.
John:ok:

[Great-Full]

Ann, they're gorgeous. Are they also fragrant?

[Ann B.]

Thank you. I was in awe when I saw them this morning.

Patsy, I'll have to check the smell tomorrow, if I can. You see, my sinuses are given me fits! So, just because I don't smell it won't mean that there isn't a fragrance.

[Ann B.]

Patsy, I clipped off a couple of the blooms, and infortunately, I could not smell anything. Quite frankly, I have been sneezing for several days now, so I'm not sure if I could smell anything right now.

They are pretty. The blooms are more erect in the morning, but by the time I get home they are drooping down like bells. Fortunately, there are new ones starting to open and they will be upright in the morning.

So, I get to enjoy these for many days.

One more day of school for the students and two more for ME!