Crinum Lily

The photos here look like Crinum asiaticum, an heirloom in Southern gardens, especially near the coast. Crinum angustifolium is native to...Read More Australia and is a much smaller plant with narrow leaves, which is what "angustifolium" means. I have several C. angustifolium, which I got from a collector in North Queensland, Australia, and I've seen C. asiaticum many times. They are not the same species, though both worth growing.

I have a,Grand Lilly, which I am looking after (apartment area). I was happy to see this bloom,with its white flower stems. I think I mad...Read Moree a bad mistake trying to rejuvenate the flower once it started withering. I cut the stem off completely hoping it would grow back and produce another bloom! But no luck, any assistance to correct error would be appreciated. As soon as I have loaded my camera roll to my Kindle I will post a pix of it.

AL

I have an Angustifolium (along with the bronze leafed Amabile and a dwarf hybrid named "Mystery") growing in my front hard in Phoenix, AZ...Read More.

The Angustifolium was given to me by a friend’s stepfather about 4 years ago. I have no idea how old the plant is, but when I planted it, the bulb was about 12" wide with a weight of about 15 lbs. He had it planeted, along with about 5 others, in a brick planter against his house, facing south, in full sun, and getting lots of reflected heat from his block home. All his plants were large and healthy looking.

You could not imagine my delight to see this plant growing in Phoenix! I am a South Florida native, and enjoyed these plants while growing up in that wonderfully humid climate! So I had to get more, so...it was off to e-bay I went!

My Angustifolium has produced flowers every year in late April/early May since I planted it. Two years ago, it produced two off-sets followed by two more off-sets last year. I just noticed today that another off-set has broken the grounds surface.

The plants are also on the south side of my house, however, they receive some shade in mid morning, and a bit heavier shade in the late afternoon. (I figured they would do much better in our devastatingly hot summer months if they didn't have to endure the scorching sun.)

I do not water any more then any of my other flowering plants. I do, however, have flood irrigation. (A Phoenix oddity that took me a while to get use too. The first time I saw a neighborhood that had irrigation, I thought the water main had burst!) My yard is flooded to a depth of about 6" every 2 weeks in the summer, and every 4 weeks in the winter. I imagine this would simulate the heavy down pours of the tropics. I do fertilize the bulbs every few months with a good quality bulb food to supplement the poor Arizona soil.

I would be nice to see if anyone else in southern Arizona has had the same experience I have had with these wonderful plants.

I have the GIANT of giants in crinums of this variety, leafs up to 8' and bulbs that can weigh up to 50lbs and flower heads that contain...Read More up to 100 flowers per flower stem.
I only have the 2 bulbs that I bought over 10 years ago and they are now 4' tall so far. The flowers are very fragrant, and spidery looking.