Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Crinum Lily
Crinum × powellii
Sink the bulb once and stand back, because the crinum lily fires off 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 delivers serious garden payoff for almost no effort. A member of the Amaryllidaceae, it powers strappy leaves up from a hefty bulb and then crowns the clump with umbels of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers from late summer into early autumn. These plants keep going for generations, outlasting the gardeners who set them and picking up the name cemetery plant along the way.
The thing that makes growing it so rewarding is how tough it is. Once it digs in, it powers through heat, drought, and just about any soil, taking clay or sand in stride as long as the bed drains. It cruises through roughly 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C) and bounces back every single year as a hardy perennial in zones 6 through 11.
The secret to the best flowers is almost too easy: leave it alone. Crinum packs everything into one big, long-lived bulb and hates being dug up, so the gardener who plants it well and walks away wins the most blooms. Patience pays off big with this one.
Care
The short version: give it full sun to partial shade and rich, well-drained soil, keep it moist while it blooms, dial back the water in winter, and then leave the bulb undisturbed for years.
Light
Crinum cranks out the most flowers in full sun, though it takes partial sun or light shade in stride. Pile on the sun for more blooms, but throw it some afternoon shade where summers really scorch.
Water
Keep the soil moist while it is budding and blooming so the flowers do not dry out, then back off once it settles in, since an established clump powers through dry spells. Go light on water in winter, because a cold, soggy bulb rots in a hurry.
Soil
Set it in moist, rich, fertile loam for the best run, but crinum is no diva and tackles clay, sand, or heavy ground as long as it drains. It rolls with a wide pH range too, anywhere from 5.5 to 8.0.
Temperature
This bulb is a powerhouse, riding out a span from about 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C). That grit is exactly why it holds the same spot for years across zones 6 through 11.
Humidity
Plain outdoor air does the job, so there is no humidity number to chase. Airflow is the real win, since crowded, damp leaves are what invite the fungal blotches that sometimes pop up.
Feeding
A balanced general-purpose fertilizer through the spring and summer growing season is all the fuel it wants. Feed it seasonally and let the bulb run with it.
Pruning
Snip off spent flower stalks and any tired or damaged leaves, but let the foliage die back on its own so the bulb banks energy for next year. Stake those tall flower stalks so a strong wind does not knock them flat.
Repotting
Crinum hates being disturbed and thrives left in place for years. Move it only when the clump gets badly crowded and flowering drops off, or when bulbs start shoving up out of the soil.
Size & spacing
A grown clump shoots up to 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) tall and spreads 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) wide, so hand it some serious room. Plant it where that bulk will not crowd the neighbors, since you will not want to move it later.
When to plant
Crinum runs on a warm-season clock, and the payoff is worth the wait. Drop the bulbs in any time from April through late October, let the clump bulk up through spring and summer, and the flowers come roaring in 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 tough enough that serious trouble rarely shows, and what does crop up usually lands on the leaves or, at worst, the bulb. Learn to read the early signs and you can jump in before a small problem spreads. Match what you see below, then act while it still counts.
A soft, rotting bulb and a plant keeling over
Bulb and root rot strikes when the soil stays waterlogged, most often through a wet winter or in ground that drains poorly. Once the base goes mushy and reeks, that tissue is toast, so lift the bulb, cut away or dump whatever rotted, and fix the drainage. Easing off the water through winter is the surest way to slam the door on a repeat.
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 fine webbing showing up
That speckling, bronzing, and fine webbing is the calling card of twospotted spider mites, which charge in when the weather goes hot and dry and the plant is stressed. Blast the foliage with a strong jet of water to knock them loose, then hit them with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Keeping the plant watered through dry spells shuts mites out before they can dig in.
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 splashed across the leaves
Those maroon spots and streaks are red blotch, a fungus that pounces when leaves stay wet and the air goes still. Cut out the worst-marked leaves and bin them, water at the base instead of overhead, and open the clump up so it can breathe. It is more of an eyesore than a real threat, but it spreads fast if you let it slide, so stay on top of 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 big chunks gone
Plenty of pests come for crinum foliage, chiefly eastern lubber grasshoppers and caterpillars, with slugs and snails crashing the party after dark. Pick the bigger culprits off by hand and set out bait wherever slugs are the trouble. Sweeping away garden debris strips out the damp 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
One heads-up before you dig in: every part of the crinum lily is toxic, and the bulb tops the list. It packs lycorine and related alkaloids that trigger drooling, vomiting, and stomach upset, with tremors after a large dose. Keep the plant, and especially any bulbs you lift, well clear of 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 boot. The bulb packs the most lycorine, so a dug-up bulb is the real danger.
Dogs Moderate
Dogs are usually the ones digging up and gnawing the bulb, which kicks off drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. A big mouthful can lead to tremors, so keep planted bulbs well out of reach.
Horses Moderate
A horse that grazes crinum goes dull and off its feed, with drooling, loose manure, and stomach pain. A large dose can bring on trembling, so fence the plants off.
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
Treat the bulb alkaloids as risky for birds, and keep poultry and pet birds from pecking the leaves or bulbs. Watch for drooping and gut upset if any gets 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 irritate skin too, 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 spans a thrilling range, from swamp natives to old garden legends. Here are the ones you are most likely to track down by name.
Crinum × powellii
This hybrid throws 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 thrives in wet soil and even standing water, flashing 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 splashed in white and deep wine-red.
Ellen Bosanquet
A long-loved cultivar grown for its knockout deep rose-red flowers and strong fragrance.
How to propagate
Crinum multiplies itself through offset bulbs, and that is hands-down the easiest way to grow your stock, since it hates being disturbed and crawls along from seed.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Spring through fall during active growth · 1 to 2 years to bloom
The quickest win is to lift the offset bulblets the parent fires off during the spring-to-fall growing season, once their tops hit about 12 inches. Since crinum builds massive, long-lived bulbs and hates being disturbed, divide only when you really have to, and give each new bulb the year or two it needs to bloom.
DivisionModerate
Spring through fall · 1 to 2 years to re-establish and bloom
To pump up your numbers 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 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 long haul, with more than 5 years between sowing and the first flowers. Most growers skip it and crank out new plants from offset bulbs instead.
Myths
Crinum lilies cause fatal kidney failure in cats like true lilies do.
Good news, because crinum is not a true lily at all. It sits in the Amaryllidaceae, so its alkaloids stir up a stomach upset rather than the kidney failure that true lilies and daylilies cause in cats. The danger is real but gastrointestinal, not the deadly kidney crisis of a Lilium.
Crinum bulbs need frequent digging, dividing, and repotting to bloom well.
Flip that one on its head. Crinum builds huge, long-lived bulbs and cannot stand being disturbed, often blooming its best when it sits untouched for years. Leave the clump alone and it pays you back with more flowers, not fewer.