I acquired a tiny piece of this about 20 years ago. It's blooming in my Jacksonville, FL garden 9A, started yesterday with 3 stalks alrea...Read Moredy loaded with flowers. It gets middle of the day filtered sun. Watered regularly, I have never fertilized it. Great plant!
I acquired a bulb of C. "Super Ellen" via mail order two years ago, but it didn't make it through the winter. After learning from the ow...Read Morener of a Virginia nursery where I purchased dome C. x powellii from last year that the secret to growing hardy Crinums is to plant the bulbs deep, I bought another Super Ellen from the same mail order nursery last year & planted it at least 12" (30 cm) deep, and it made it through the winter, emerging around the end of the first week of May this year.
One thing I like about this particular Crinum, even though mine is still most likely a few years away from blooming is that everything about this particular variety is big. Even just a few weeks after putting up its first leaves, my immature Super Ellen is already larger than the mature, flowering-sized powellii bulbs I planted last year, and will probably only get bigger over time. The leaves look almost like a 1/3 scale version of the large tropical C. asiaticum plants I've seen planted all over Hawaii & Florida.
All in all, a really great hardy crinum, and one I want to get more of.
I believe that hardy crinums like this would be especially valuable here in the north where lily leaf beetle now makes growing good lilie...Read Mores difficult, because crinums, from a different family, are unsuitable hosts.
One rule of thumb I've heard from successful growers of hardy crinums in zones 5-6: the bulbs should be at least two inches thick before they will overwinter in the garden. Till then, grow it in a pot and winter it over dormant in a cool space like an unheated garage.
I've just bought two bulbs, and will report back if and when I can plant them in the garden.
I wish I could post a picture of my Crinum Lily here it is beautiful. I live in central Fl. I planted 1 bulb 3 years ago and have had flo...Read Morewers the last 2 years. It is in partial, not full sun as the sun is very hot here. each stem produces many flowers. Last year each had about 6 this year they have about 10 in each bud. I don't do anything special to them. It has gotten so big I am going to try and separate the bulbs next year before it gets too big.
I have 5 Super Ellen growing here in zone 7b but they have not flowered yet which takes 4-5 years from offset.
Super Ellen...Read More is recognized as a unique hybrid by Intl Bulb Society and Pacific Bulb Society..
Offsets and larger are available from several sources and tissue cultured bulbs are also available.
I have a friend in zone 5b (Indianapolis) who has flowering Super Ellen.
To quote the hybridizer T.Perry (aka seedman01): "The Crinum x ‘Super Ellen’ is a back cross of C. bulbispermum (pollen) to C. ‘Ellen Bosanquet’(seed). This Crinum variety is my personal, exclusive hybrid which I developed over 14 years ago. The 'Super Ellen' is very similar to ‘Ellen Bosanquet’ --- but is much larger in all respects and hardier. This bulb has the same hardiness zone of a C. bulbispermum (zone 5). The flowers produced are a vivid rose-red and larger than the ‘Ellen Bosanquet.’ The sturdy flower spikes often reach 5-6 feet tall and make stunning, endurable cut flowers. The ‘Super Ellen’ blooms frequently throughout spring, summer and fall. I counted 14 scapes this past year on one clump of ‘Super Ellen.’ Will occasionally produce seed with hand pollination. "
I acquired a tiny piece of this about 20 years ago. It's blooming in my Jacksonville, FL garden 9A, started yesterday with 3 stalks alrea...Read More
I acquired a bulb of C. "Super Ellen" via mail order two years ago, but it didn't make it through the winter. After learning from the ow...Read More
I believe that hardy crinums like this would be especially valuable here in the north where lily leaf beetle now makes growing good lilie...Read More
I wish I could post a picture of my Crinum Lily here it is beautiful. I live in central Fl. I planted 1 bulb 3 years ago and have had flo...Read More
I have 5 Super Ellen growing here in zone 7b but they have not flowered yet which takes 4-5 years from offset.
Super Ellen...Read More