Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Crinum Lily
Crinum × powellii
Plant it once and leave it be, and the crinum lily throws up fragrant pink trumpets every late summer for decades.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–11
2–5 ft · 0.6–1.5 m
Overview
The crinum lily is one of the toughest bulbs you can put in the ground. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae and sends up strappy leaves from a massive bulb, then crowns the clump with umbels of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers from late summer into early autumn. Old plantings often outlive the gardeners who set them, which is how it earned the nickname cemetery plant.
What makes it so easy is how little it asks. Once established it shrugs off heat, drought, and a wide range of soils, taking anything from clay to sand as long as the bed drains. It handles a remarkable temperature swing, from about 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C), and comes back faithfully year after year as a hardy perennial in zones 6 through 11.
The one thing it won't tolerate is fussing. Crinum builds a huge, long-lived bulb and resents being dug up, so the gardener who plants it in the right spot and walks away gets the best flowers. Patience is the whole trick with this plant.
Care
The short version: give it full sun to partial shade and rich, well-drained soil, keep it moist while it's in bloom, ease off the water in winter, and then leave the bulb undisturbed for years.
Light
Crinum flowers best in full sun but takes partial sun or light shade without complaint. The more sun it gets, the more blooms you'll see, though some afternoon shade is welcome where summers run fierce.
Water
Keep the soil moist while the plant is in bud and bloom so the flowers don't dry out, then ease off once it's established, as a settled clump handles drought well. Water only sparingly through winter, because a cold, soggy bulb is the fastest path to rot.
Soil
Plant it in moist, rich, fertile loam, though crinum is forgiving and takes clay, sand, or heavy ground as long as the drainage is decent. It accepts a wide pH range, anywhere from 5.5 to 8.0.
Temperature
This bulb is remarkably hardy, riding out a span from about 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C). That toughness is why it survives untouched in the same spot for years across zones 6 through 11.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity suits it fine, so there's no number to chase. Good airflow matters more than moisture in the air, since crowded, damp leaves invite the fungal blotches that occasionally trouble it.
Feeding
A balanced general-purpose fertilizer through the spring and summer growing season is all it needs. Feed it seasonally and let the bulb do the rest.
Pruning
Cut away spent flower stalks and any old or damaged foliage, but let the leaves die back on their own so the bulb can store energy. Staking the tall flower stalks keeps them from toppling in a strong wind.
Repotting
Crinum resents disturbance and is happiest left in place for many years. Move it only when the clump is badly crowded and flowering has dropped off, or when bulbs start heaving up out of the soil.
Size & spacing
A mature clump stands 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) tall and spreads 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) wide, so give it real room. Plant it where that bulk won't crowd its neighbors, since you won't want to move it later.
When to plant
Crinum runs on a warm-season rhythm. Plant the bulbs out anytime from April through late October, let the clump build through spring and summer, and you'll be rewarded with flowers from late summer into early autumn.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: April through late October
- Harvest: late summer to early autumn (August to September)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–11
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Crinum is hardy enough that real trouble is rare, and most of what shows up lands on the leaves or, in the worst case, the bulb. Learn to read the early signs and you can step in before a small problem spreads. Match what you see below, then act while it still helps.
A soft, rotting bulb and a plant that topples
Bulb and root rot sets in when the soil stays waterlogged, most often over a wet winter or in ground that drains poorly. Once the base turns mushy and foul-smelling there's no saving that tissue, so lift the bulb, cut away or discard what has rotted, and fix the drainage. Going easy on water through winter is the surest way to keep it from happening again.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and stop overwatering
- Remove the bulb from soggy potting mix when planting potted specimens
- Discard severely rotted bulbs
Speckled, bronzed leaves laced with fine webbing
This is the work of twospotted spider mites, which move in when the weather turns hot and dry and the plant is stressed. Blast the foliage with a strong jet of water to knock them loose, then follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Keeping the plant watered through dry spells is what keeps mites from gaining a foothold.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage with a strong spray of water to dislodge mites
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil per label
- Improve airflow and avoid drought stress
Red blotches and streaks on the leaves and stalks
Those maroon spots and lesions are red blotch, a fungus that takes hold when leaves stay wet and air doesn't move. Cut out the worst-marked leaves and bin them, water at the base rather than over the top, and give the clump room to breathe. It's an eyesore more than a real threat, but it spreads if you ignore it.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy badly affected leaves
- Avoid overhead watering and improve spacing for airflow
- Apply an appropriate fungicide if severe
Ragged, chewed leaves with chunks missing
Several pests gnaw crinum foliage, chiefly eastern lubber grasshoppers and caterpillars, with slugs and snails working the night shift. Pick the larger culprits off by hand and use bait where slugs are the problem. Clearing away garden debris removes the damp hiding spots they shelter in.
Fix:
- Handpick grasshoppers, caterpillars, slugs, and snails
- Use slug or snail bait where appropriate
- Remove garden debris that shelters pests
Toxicity
Every part of the crinum lily is toxic, and the bulb most of all. It carries lycorine and related alkaloids that bring on drooling, vomiting, and stomach upset, with tremors after a large dose. Keep the plant, and especially any dug-up bulbs, away from pets, livestock, and children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A cat that bites the leaves or chews a bulb usually drools, throws up, and gets the runs, with belly pain to match. The bulb holds the most lycorine, so a dug-up bulb is the real danger.
Dogs Moderate
Dogs tend to be the ones that dig up and gnaw the bulb, which brings on drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. A big mouthful can lead to tremors, so keep planted bulbs out of reach.
Horses Moderate
Grazing on crinum leaves the horse dull and off its feed, with drooling, loose manure, and stomach pain. A large dose can bring on trembling.
Rabbits Toxic
The same alkaloids that sicken cats and dogs make crinum unsafe for rabbits, so expect drooling and gut upset. Never let one nibble the foliage or bulbs.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep can take in enough lycorine from the foliage to drool, scour, and grow weak. Fence the plants off from any grazing animals.
Birds Caution
The bulb alkaloids are best treated as risky for birds, so keep poultry and pet birds from pecking the leaves or bulbs. Watch for drooping and gut upset if any is eaten.
People Caution
No part of crinum is food, and swallowing any of it brings on nausea, drooling, and vomiting, with tremors after a large amount. The sap can also irritate skin, so wash up after handling cut stems or bulbs.
Plant sap may irritate skin; wash hands after handling bulbs or cut stems. Keep bulbs out of reach of pets and children.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Crinum covers a wide range, from swamp natives to old garden favorites. These are the ones you're most likely to come across by name.
Crinum × powellii
This hybrid carries umbels of 8 to 10 fragrant, trumpet-shaped pink flowers on stalks reaching 3 to 5 feet, opening from late summer into early autumn.
Crinum americanum
The native Southern swamp lily thrives in wet soil and even standing water, showing white pink-blushed flowers with long purple stamens and a taste for acidic ground.
Milk and Wine Lily
This old garden crinum earns its name from striped flowers marked in white and deep wine-red.
Ellen Bosanquet
A long-loved cultivar grown for its deep rose-red flowers and strong fragrance.
How to propagate
Crinum multiplies on its own by offset bulbs, and that is far and away the easiest way to make more, since it dislikes being disturbed and is slow from seed.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Spring through fall during active growth · 1 to 2 years to bloom
The easiest route is to lift the offset bulblets a parent plant throws off during the spring-to-fall growing season, once their tops reach about 12 inches. Because crinum forms massive, long-lived bulbs and hates being disturbed, divide only when you really must, and give each new bulb a year or two before it settles in and flowers.
DivisionModerate
Spring through fall · 1 to 2 years to re-establish and bloom
To make more from a big established clump, lift it during the growing season and split it apart. Expect the divisions to sulk for a season, since crinum resents root disturbance, and count on a year or two before they re-establish and bloom again.
SeedDemanding
When fresh seed is available · More than 5 years to reach blooming stage
Growing crinum from fresh seed is a long game, with more than five years between sowing and the first flowers. Most gardeners skip it and raise new plants from offset bulbs instead.
Myths
Crinum lilies cause fatal kidney failure in cats like true lilies do.
Crinum is not a true lily at all. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae, and its alkaloids cause an upset stomach rather than the kidney failure that true lilies and daylilies bring on in cats. The danger is real but it is gastrointestinal, not the deadly kidney crisis of a Lilium.
Crinum bulbs need frequent digging, dividing, and repotting to bloom well.
The opposite is closer to the truth. Crinum forms huge, long-lived bulbs and dislikes being disturbed, often blooming best when it sits untouched for years. Leave the clump alone and it rewards you with more flowers, not fewer.