Crinum Lilly
Q: I have 6 crinum lilly plants that have been in the ground 7 or 8 years. Only 2 of them have ever bloomed. Two weeks ago in the 95+ temp. heat some of the leaves got sun burned ( bleached out looking ). Unfortunately they get mid day and afternoon sun as the house faces West. I see other crinums around town blooming now, why don’t mine bloom?
Kate
Valdosta,Ga
A: Crinums often take years to start blooming, until the bulbs are as big a footballs. So your experience isn’t all that unusual. Once they achieve bloom-size, they’re very responsive to rain, often coming into bloom a week or two after a heavy rain. (My milk-and-wine lily is blooming now, two weeks after the last big rain.) You could try soaking them well and see if that makes a difference. As for the burned leaves, the soil probably got really dry during the hot spell. Don’t worry — established crinums are tough. They’d probably survive a nuclear blast.
Grumpy
You should be able to anticipate drought conditions, so water beforehand. Give them some fertilize in the winter and you’ll have more blooms per stem and heartier leaves during those dry periods, also.
Is it pronounced “Cry-num” or “Crin-um (like “grin”)? I have a crinum I got after my grandmother died in 1989. I thought all these years it was an amaryllis. When I planted it then it (the bulb) was big as an elephant’s foot! Now there are about 12-14 plants in the same area. Should I separate them and when? Some of the leaves grew to about 5 feet long last summer!
It’s pronounced “cry-num.” Crinums are so tough you can basically divide them anytime, but if you want to be on the safe side, do this in fall when it’s cooler.