Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Crinum Lily
Crinum × powellii
Get the bulb in the ground once, then forget about it, and you'll get fragrant pink trumpets every late summer for years.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–11
2–5 ft · 0.6–1.5 m
Overview
Want a bulb that's almost impossible to mess up? That's the crinum lily. It's part of the Amaryllidaceae, and it pushes long strappy leaves up from a big bulb before topping the clump with umbels of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers from late summer into early autumn. Plenty of old plantings keep blooming long after the people who planted them are gone, which is where the nickname cemetery plant comes from.
The best part is how easy-going it is. Once it's settled in, it doesn't mind heat, dry weather, or much of anything when it comes to soil, taking clay or sand without complaint as long as the water can drain off. It'll sit through roughly 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C) and come back every year as a hardy perennial in zones 6 through 11.
The one thing it can't stand is being fussed with. Crinum grows a big, long-lived bulb and hates getting dug up, so the trick is simple: plant it somewhere good and then leave it be. Patience is really all it takes, and the flowers follow.
Care
The short version: give it full sun to partial shade and rich, well-drained soil, keep it moist while it's flowering, go light on the water in winter, and then just leave the bulb alone for years.
Light
Crinum blooms best in full sun, but it's fine with partial sun or a little shade too. More sun means more flowers, though a bit of afternoon shade doesn't hurt where summers really cook.
Water
Keep the soil moist while it's budding and blooming so the flowers don't dry out, then back off once it's settled in, because an established clump handles dry spells just fine. Come winter, water only a little, since a cold, soggy bulb is the quickest way to end up with rot.
Soil
It likes moist, rich, fertile loam best, but it's not picky, and it'll take clay, sand, or heavy ground as long as the drainage holds up. It's easy about pH too, anywhere from 5.5 to 8.0 works.
Temperature
This bulb's seriously tough, riding out a range from about 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C). That's exactly why it can sit in the same spot for years across zones 6 through 11 without any help from you.
Humidity
Regular outdoor air is plenty, so there's no humidity target to worry about. What matters more is good airflow, since crowded, damp leaves are what bring on the occasional fungal blotch.
Feeding
A balanced general-purpose fertilizer through the spring and summer growing season is all it wants. Feed it seasonally and let the bulb handle the rest.
Pruning
Snip off the spent flower stalks and any old or beat-up leaves, but let the foliage die back on its own so the bulb can stock up energy. And go ahead and stake those tall flower stalks, since a strong wind will topple them otherwise.
Repotting
Crinum hates being disturbed and would rather sit in one place for years. So only move it when the clump's really crowded and flowering's dropped off, or when bulbs start pushing up out of the soil.
Size & spacing
A grown clump hits 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) tall and spreads 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) wide, so give it plenty of room. Put it somewhere that size won't crowd the neighbors, because you really won't want to move it later.
When to plant
Crinum's on a warm-season schedule, and it's pretty relaxed about it. You can pop the bulbs in any time from April through late October, let the clump fill out over spring and summer, and the flowers show up 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's tough enough that you won't run into much, and when you do, it's usually on the leaves or, in the worst case, the bulb. The trick is catching things early, before a small issue spreads. Find what matches what you're seeing below, then deal with it while there's still time.
A soft, rotting bulb and a plant that's toppling
Bulb and root rot shows up when the soil stays waterlogged, usually over a wet winter or in ground that doesn't drain well. Once the base goes mushy and starts to smell, that tissue's done, so lift the bulb, cut away or toss whatever's rotted, and sort out the drainage. Going easy on water through winter is your best bet for keeping 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 with a bit of fine webbing
That speckling, bronzing, and fine webbing? That's twospotted spider mites, and they tend to show up when it's hot and dry and the plant's a little stressed. Hit the foliage with a strong jet of water to knock them off, then follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Keeping the plant watered through dry stretches is what stops them from getting a foothold in the first place.
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
Those maroon spots and streaks are red blotch, a fungus that moves in when leaves stay wet and the air's not moving. Trim off the worst leaves and toss them, water at the base instead of overhead, and open up some space so the clump can breathe. It's more of an eyesore than a real threat, but it'll spread if you ignore it, so a quick cleanup keeps it in line.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy badly affected leaves
- Avoid overhead watering and improve spacing for airflow
- Apply an appropriate fungicide if severe
Ragged, chewed-up leaves with chunks missing
A few pests like to chew crinum leaves, mainly eastern lubber grasshoppers and caterpillars, with slugs and snails clocking in after dark. Pick the bigger ones off by hand, and put out bait wherever slugs are the issue. Clearing away garden debris gets rid of the damp little hideouts they shelter in.
Fix:
- Handpick grasshoppers, caterpillars, slugs, and snails
- Use slug or snail bait where appropriate
- Remove garden debris that shelters pests
Toxicity
Here's the catch: every part of the crinum lily is toxic, and the bulb's the worst of all. It's loaded with lycorine and related alkaloids that cause drooling, vomiting, and an upset stomach, plus tremors if a lot gets eaten. So keep the plant, and especially any bulbs you've dug up, well out of reach of pets, livestock, and kids.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A cat that bites the leaves or chews on a bulb usually ends up drooling, throwing up, and dealing with the runs, plus a sore belly. The bulb's got the most lycorine, so a dug-up one is really the thing to worry about.
Dogs Moderate
Dogs are usually the ones digging up and gnawing the bulb, and that brings on drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. A big mouthful can even lead to tremors, so keep those planted bulbs out of reach.
Horses Moderate
A horse that grazes on crinum goes dull and off its feed, with drooling, loose manure, and a sore stomach. A big dose can bring on trembling, so it's worth fencing the plants off.
Rabbits Toxic
The same alkaloids that make cats and dogs sick make crinum unsafe for rabbits too, so you'll see drooling and gut upset. Never let one nibble the foliage or the bulbs.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep can take in enough lycorine from the leaves to drool, scour, and go weak. Fence the plants off from any animals that graze.
Birds Caution
It's safest to treat the bulb alkaloids as risky for birds, so keep poultry and pet birds away from the leaves and bulbs. Watch for drooping and gut upset if any gets eaten.
People Caution
None of crinum is food, and swallowing any of it brings on nausea, drooling, and vomiting, with tremors after a big amount. The sap can irritate skin too, so wash up after you've handled 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 lot of ground, from swamp natives to old garden classics. Here are the ones you're most likely to run across by name.
Crinum × powellii
This hybrid puts up umbels of 8 to 10 fragrant, trumpet-shaped pink flowers on stalks that reach 3 to 5 feet, opening from late summer into early autumn.
Crinum americanum
The native Southern swamp lily is right at home in wet soil and even standing water, with white pink-blushed flowers, long purple stamens, and a taste for acidic ground.
Milk and Wine Lily
This old garden crinum got its name from striped flowers marked in white and deep wine-red.
Ellen Bosanquet
A longtime favorite cultivar grown for its deep rose-red flowers and strong fragrance.
How to propagate
Crinum makes more of itself with offset bulbs, and honestly that's the easy way to go, since it doesn't like being disturbed and takes forever from seed.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Spring through fall during active growth · 1 to 2 years to bloom
The easiest way is to lift the offset bulblets the parent throws off during the spring-to-fall growing season, once their tops are about 12 inches. Since crinum grows massive, long-lived bulbs and hates being disturbed, only divide when you really have to, and give each new bulb a year or two to settle in and bloom.
DivisionModerate
Spring through fall · 1 to 2 years to re-establish and bloom
Want more from a big established clump? Lift it during the growing season and split it apart. Just expect the divisions to sulk for a season, since crinum hates having its roots messed with, and count on a year or two for them to 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 real waiting game, with more than 5 years between sowing and the first flowers. Most folks skip it entirely and just raise new plants from offset bulbs.
Myths
Crinum lilies cause fatal kidney failure in cats like true lilies do.
Good news here, because crinum isn't actually a true lily. It's in the Amaryllidaceae, so its alkaloids cause an upset stomach rather than the kidney failure that true lilies and daylilies bring on in cats. The danger's real, sure, but it's a stomach thing, not the deadly kidney crisis of a Lilium.
Crinum bulbs need frequent digging, dividing, and repotting to bloom well.
It's actually the other way around. Crinum grows huge, long-lived bulbs and can't stand being disturbed, and it often blooms best when you just leave it sitting for years. Leave the clump alone and it'll reward you with more flowers, not fewer.