Crinum lilies are a garden favorite in the South, where many cultivars are cold hardy to grow at below zero temperatures. Some crinums are more tropical in cold hardiness and only grow in zones 8 through 10. Some crinum bulb hybrids can grow to an enormous size of 25 pounds, and the bulbs can be removed from the ground for periods of 2 years or more and survive in a non-planted stage as a dormant bulb.
A blooming size crinum bulb sends up solid stems that can hold up to 20 flowers that bloom in an umbel and open in sequence two-or-three at a time. The most desirable crinum hybrids stems will stand erect until flowering has ended, but some of the hybrids that contain the genes of the native American crinum, Crinum americanum, that grows along river banks will flop over shortly after the first flowers begin to open being undesirable plants for most gardeners. Crinum lilies flower in colors of wine, pink and white, and some hybrids are striped, and in the South are called Milk and Wine Lilies, because of the combination of colors. The Crinum lily bulb can send up multiple successions stems that are capped with blooms that can be cup-shaped or trumpet-shaped that normally begin flowering in the spring, but occasionally bulbs can bloom unpredictability in the winter, when the weather warms up.
The Ceceil Houdyshel crinum bulb was developed last century and named after the crinum breeder, after he personally selected the best pink crinum plant selection for further vegetative, clonal multiplication that resulted from crossing two species, believed to have been C. moorei and C. bulbispermum, still available to buy today from Ty Ty Nursery.
Crinum Asiaticum 'Variegated'
The exotic fragrant flowers of the Crinum asiaticum are delicately formed, and the rare, variegated C. asiaticum has broad wide, strap shaped leaves that have parallel white striping running the length of the medium green leaf coloration. This Crinum grows best with some shading proving beneficial. Background shots of this video production used the fractal growths concepts representing plant morphogenesis growth and cellular division theories first explained by the famous mathematical genius, Nobel Prize winner and Yale Mathematics Professor, Benoit Mandelbrot.
Crinum Asiaticum
The Crinum asiaticum has long, thin petals and can grow over 6 feet tall! and amazing specimen for any garden. This bulb is cold hardy in zones 8, 9 and 10 and in Hawaii, the plants can grow 8 feet tall with a trunk forming at the base supporting an umbel canopy of wide strap-like leaves at the top. The asiaticum Crinum is very salt water tolerant and is used in cluster plantings fronting sea resorts along the Atlantic Coast, where they flower practically every month of the year, definitely ranking as a top choice perennial flower bulb to grow in the Southern United States.
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