Crinum ID and advice, please

Phoenix, AZ

I have a plant that was here when I moved in in '86. I dug it up from its original location and it has lived life in a pot for the past several years. This year, it is obvious it's multiplied many times and needs to be divided and given a proper home. But what? I am at a loss what to do and when. Notice I'm in Phoenix and we are headed for triple digit temps any day now. Should I divide it and keep it in separate pots till cooler weather? It's always had shade, so I'm guessing it wants to stay in the shade. It has only bloomed a few times in 20 years and I'd like to give it good conditions so it will bloom. It smells heavenly when it does.

Thumbnail by tomatofreak
Phoenix, AZ

Anyone? I came here because you all know so much more than I do about these lovely plants. I would so like to have a 'forest' of these but I'd settle for just getting it planted in the right place.

Tolleson, AZ(Zone 9a)

Wow is that blooming now alma? I would post over on the bulb forum. I know that they do not liked to be moved around much.

Phoenix, AZ

Fancy meeting you here, Marie! No, it's not blooming now. It has only bloomed in July and September. Isn't that an odd time for a crinum to bloom? Will take your advice and post in bulbs. Btw, do you have some of these?

Bessemer City, NC(Zone 7b)

You plant looks like a hybrid of the xdigweedii type. That's a cross od C. americanum and scabrum. The cross has been market under some spurious names such as C. fimbriatum or C.submersum, and two popular named cultivars are 'Royal White' and 'Stars and Stripes'.

They are sometimes called "Nassau Lilies" in general and can vary a lot, with the pink stripe being present in various shades and intensities. Most are on the pale side. Yours might be a deeper tone if it is grown in more light.

In the ground, you can expect good blooming annually and in 20 years, your clump would be HUGE. They are hardy in 7b and I have 'Royal White' in the ground in clayey loam, in nearly full sun. They might be evergreen there, since it takes a hard frost to knock them back. I give them some leaf mulch here over the winter since we have killing frosts and short periods of hard freezes.


Crinums are so tough that you can move them any time if you have to, as long as the soil is workable, and that seems to be year-round there. For better growth, give your plant more light and feed regularly-- they are hungry feeders. You might add some humus to your soil if it is very sandy, and give them lots of water.

You really should be seeing multiple scapes each season and plenty of offsets on short stolons, in the ground anyway.

R.

Phoenix, AZ

Thank you, raydio! More info than I've ever known about this plant. It is very cold-hardy and didn't freeze back even when we had 5 days of freezing temps in January '07. It sounds like I need to find a spot where it would get more sun. I suspect it doesn't want to be in our full summer sun, though; that will kill just about anything. I have different types of soil in this yard and I always amend when I put new plants in the ground. Now to figure out how to get it out of this pot. Might be a little tricky...

Tolleson, AZ(Zone 9a)

Alma I do have some but I would like yours. Mine are mostly babies but from what I have read when you move them it could put off blooming for a season.

Jacksonville, FL(Zone 9a)

I like this site for good information on crinums.

http://www.marcellescrinums.com/index.html

North of Atlanta, GA(Zone 8a)

My uncle has a crinum and he is in zone 8. His is out in the sun and he has a few in partial shade too. The one in the sun is in a container and it blooms like crazy in the summer. I have 2 but they are young so there are only leaves on them.

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