Take a look at my new beauty 'Mrs. James Hendry', she's so delicate and smells delicious too. She has a faint pink cast to her blooms edges, buds are a gorgeous pink. Milk & Wine (back) is on it's 5th stalk this year.
Criniums
Lovely. What's your secret to getting this many blooms/stalks? Sheila
Those are lovely, Vi. My pinks have not started to bloom yet. I never see the scapes forming amid the leaves. They appear like magic over night. Do you feed your crinums heavily to get multiple scapes or is it that particular cultivar's habit?
Beth
lovely Vi.
I think the big secret must be pond water, lol. They really haven't been fertilized, except a top dressing of horse manure and extra water hyacinths since I planted them next to my little pond. I also mulched with a heavy layer of finely shredded leaves to help hold the moisture. All I can say is that I'm thrilled to my toes!
That make sense to me. Mine bloom in flushes during the hurricaine season. I have not fed them much other than top dressing with composted manure. I suspect that they might be heavy feeders, so many plants in that family are.
How about the amount of light they get? I have one variety that has not bloomed for me yet. This is its third season since I took it from MIL's backyard. She couldn't remember if it bloomed for her, or how long she had had it. I think that I may need to move it to a sunnier location, but I dread the thought of digging it up. Some of the bulbs are the size of softballs already. Maybe I'll just cut down the dogwood instead. It would be a lot easier.
Beth
That is beautiful. Mine haven't bloom yet this year, but I am further north than you are...as for the sun question...I have some in mostly sun and some in partial sun and they both bloom well for me. I would guess they are just not quite ready to bloom, sometimes it takes a few years for their root system to get settled and shoot out blooms. I understand they HATE to be disturbed, so I most likely would not move them...just give them more time. Also, if you think the tree is too much shade, you may be able to thin the limbs to allow a little more sun rather than cutting it down completely.
JanetS
The folk who had this house, about 20 or more years prior to our ownership, planted dogwoods, lots of dogwoods. There was a double row of over 27 trees in a area less than 10' by 80'. I have removed 3 and limbed up 6 of the remaining trees. I know the original numbers from counting stumps. Evidently other owners have thinned the woodlot a bit, prior to me and my pruning saw. I like dogwoods, but enough is enough. the shade is dense, the roots are shallow, and they are a pain to plant under when they are too close and competing for every drop of water.
I'll bet they got seedlings from the Arbor Foundation. I wish that they had planted crepe myrtles, or azaleas, or leucothoe, or....
Beth
I think criniums are tougher than you think. My new one stayed in a pot in the basement all winter and is doing fine, getting her second stalk. Milk & Wine has been transplanted twice, and never failed to bloom. Mine are in full sun. Could they be planted too deep?
Beth,
I have crape myrtles if you are interested...let me know.
No, Vi, i am pretty sure the bulbs are planted OK. The swell of the bulbs are visible at the soil line on both clumps. One blooms well; the other doesn't bloom. I think it might be either the shade difference or the length of time needed to adjust to the move. The blooming clump has been in its spot of sun for close to six years. I may move a portion of my non bloomer into the new bed and see if that makes it happy enough to bloom.
I have begun turning the sod over inside the perimeter of the new bed. I turned an area of about 25 sq feet today.
Ok, I just fell asleep at the keyboard again. It is nap time before I go pick James up from his summer job.
Beth
My pink crinum finally decided to get with it after that rain we had. I have found three scapes of buds pushing up amid the foliage. This is the first time I have caught the stalks befor they rose above the foliage.
Vi - I checked Scott Ogden's book on bulbs for the south and he advocates planting crinums at 18 inches for maximun bulb growth and bloom. According to him, if they are planted too shallowly they spend their energy in division rather than bulking up the mama bulb for bloom. I think that I will move one small section of the ones that are not blooming and plant them deeply in the bed that is currently under construction. Would you like some of the offset when I move it? I think that it is a powelli cultivar but don't hold me to it. I will try to make the move in time for the fall RU if we have one. I still have stuff potted up for folks from spring when I was a no show.
Beth
Milk n Wine is giving out her 7 & 8th stalks of the season and the Mrs is on her 4th!
I couldn't see 'powelli' here on DG. Is it varigated? Post a picture for PlantFiles for us if you can, K? Is it very fragrant? (you know me :)
have no idea about fragrance or color. as a hybrid the blooms are said to tend toward self color rather than striped. Since I have a clump of pink blooming crinums, I anticipate that this one will be pink also. Murphy's law for gardeners, the longer you wait for a bulb to bloom, the more likely it will duplicate something you already have.
Beth