Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Crinum Lily
Crinum × powellii
A single planting that returns each season, the crinum lily lifts fragrant pink trumpets over the late-summer garden for years.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–11
2–5 ft · 0.6–1.5 m
Overview
Few bulbs make a statement as effortlessly as the crinum lily. A member of the Amaryllidaceae, it builds a generous fountain of strappy foliage and then, from late summer into early autumn, raises umbels of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers above the border. It is the kind of planting that stays put for generations, a permanence that earned it the old name cemetery plant.
What makes it such a gift to a garden is its ease. Settled in, it takes heat, dry spells, and almost any soil in stride, which frees it to anchor a sunny bed you would rather not fuss over. Hardy through roughly 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C) and reliable across zones 6 through 11, it returns each year as a fixture you can plan a planting around.
Treat it as a long-term resident rather than a seasonal flourish. Crinum forms a substantial, enduring bulb and prefers to be left undisturbed, so the most rewarding approach is to give it a permanent place and let it mature. Choose the spot with care, and the planting only grows more handsome with time.
Care
The short version: set it in full sun to partial shade in rich, well-drained soil, keep it moist while it flowers, ease off the water through winter, and then leave the bulb in place for years.
Light
Give it full sun for the fullest display, though it settles happily into partial sun or light shade. A position with more light brings more bloom, while a touch of afternoon shade keeps it composed where summers run hot.
Water
Keep the soil moist while the clump is in bud and bloom so the display does not falter, then ease back once it is established, since a settled planting carries itself through dry spells. Through winter, water only sparingly, as a cold, wet bulb is the surest way to lose it.
Soil
It looks its best in moist, rich, fertile loam, though it adapts gracefully to clay, sand, or heavier ground wherever the drainage holds. The wide tolerance extends to pH, anywhere from 5.5 to 8.0, which suits most garden beds.
Temperature
Remarkably hardy, it weathers a range from about 25°F to 100°F (-4°C to 38°C). That resilience is what allows it to hold its place in the same border for years across zones 6 through 11.
Humidity
Ordinary garden air suits it, so there is no humidity figure to manage. Open spacing matters more, since a clump set too tight in still air invites the fungal blotch that can mar the foliage.
Feeding
A balanced general-purpose fertilizer through the spring and summer growing season is enough to keep it handsome. Feed it seasonally, then let the bulb carry the planting forward.
Pruning
Tidy away spent flower stalks and any worn or damaged leaves, but let the foliage fade on its own so the bulb can recharge. Staking the tall flower stalks keeps the display upright when wind sweeps the bed.
Repotting
Crinum prefers to stay put and rewards a permanent position with years of bloom. Lift it only when a crowded clump has lost its flowering vigor, or when bulbs begin to heave 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 plan it as a centerpiece with room to breathe. Place it where that scale reads as a feature rather than a crowd, since the planting is meant to stay.
When to plant
Crinum keeps to the warm-season calendar that shapes a summer garden. The bulbs go in any time from April through late October, the clump fills out across spring and summer, and the display arrives from late summer into early autumn, just as much of the border begins to fade.
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
A planting this robust seldom causes worry, and the occasional issue tends to surface on the foliage or, at worst, the bulb. Catching the early signs keeps a small blemish from spreading across an otherwise handsome clump. Match what you notice below, then address it before it dulls the display.
A soft, rotting bulb and a clump that leans
Bulb and root rot takes hold where the soil stays waterlogged, most often through a wet winter or on a poorly drained site. Once the base turns soft and foul, that tissue is lost, so lift the bulb, pare away or discard the rot, and correct the drainage beneath the planting. Restraint with water through winter is the surest safeguard for a clump you mean to keep.
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 faint webbing
When the foliage dulls to a speckled, bronzed cast veiled in fine webbing, the cause is twospotted spider mites, which arrive in hot, dry stretches when the plant is under strain. A strong jet of water dislodges them, followed by insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to finish the job. Keeping the planting watered through dry spells is what keeps the foliage clean and the mites at bay.
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 across the foliage
Maroon spots and streaks marring the leaves are red blotch, a fungus that settles in where foliage stays wet and the air sits still. Removing the worst-marked leaves, watering at the base, and opening up the clump for airflow restores its look. The blemish is more cosmetic than dangerous, yet it spreads if left, so a little upkeep keeps the display crisp.
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 the edges torn
Tattered, chewed foliage is the work of eastern lubber grasshoppers and caterpillars, with slugs and snails grazing after dark. Handpicking the larger offenders and setting bait where slugs prevail keeps the clump presentable. Clearing garden debris removes the damp shelter they retreat to, sparing the planting further damage.
Fix:
- Handpick grasshoppers, caterpillars, slugs, and snails
- Use slug or snail bait where appropriate
- Remove garden debris that shelters pests
Toxicity
For all its garden charm, the crinum lily is toxic in every part, the bulb most of all. It holds lycorine and related alkaloids that bring on drooling, vomiting, and stomach upset, with tremors after a large dose. Site it thoughtfully, and keep the plant and 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 tends to drool, vomit, and develop diarrhea, with belly pain alongside. The bulb concentrates the most lycorine, so a dug-up bulb is the real hazard to guard against.
Dogs Moderate
Dogs are usually the ones to dig up and gnaw the bulb, which brings on drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. A large mouthful can lead to tremors, so keep planted bulbs out of reach.
Horses Moderate
A horse grazing on crinum turns dull and off its feed, with drooling, loose manure, and stomach pain. A large dose can bring on trembling, so fence the plants away from pasture.
Rabbits Toxic
The same alkaloids that sicken cats and dogs make crinum unsafe for rabbits, so drooling and gut upset follow a nibble. Keep one away from the foliage and bulbs entirely.
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 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 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 ranges from wetland natives to cherished heirloom selections, each with its own presence in the garden. These are the names most often met by gardeners.
Crinum × powellii
This hybrid carries umbels of 8 to 10 fragrant, trumpet-shaped pink flowers on stalks of 3 to 5 feet, opening from late summer into early autumn for a graceful late-season show.
Crinum americanum
The native Southern swamp lily flourishes in wet soil and even standing water, offering white pink-blushed flowers with long purple stamens and a preference for acidic ground.
Milk and Wine Lily
This heirloom garden crinum owes its name to flowers striped in white and deep wine-red.
Ellen Bosanquet
A long-treasured cultivar prized for its deep rose-red flowers and strong fragrance.
How to propagate
Crinum increases itself through offset bulbs, far and away the simplest way to expand a planting, since it would rather not be disturbed and is slow from seed.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Spring through fall during active growth · 1 to 2 years to bloom
The simplest route to more plants is to lift the offset bulblets the parent sends up through the spring-to-fall growing season, once their tops reach about 12 inches. Because crinum forms substantial, long-lived bulbs and dislikes disturbance, divide only when truly needed, allowing each new bulb the year or two it takes to bloom.
DivisionModerate
Spring through fall · 1 to 2 years to re-establish and bloom
To extend a large established clump, lift it during the growing season and ease it apart. Expect the divisions to rest quietly for a season, since crinum resents root disturbance, and allow a year or two for them to re-establish and bloom before the planting returns to form.
SeedDemanding
When fresh seed is available · More than 5 years to reach blooming stage
Raising crinum from fresh seed is a long undertaking, with more than 5 years from sowing to the first flowers. Most gardeners set it aside and build their plantings from offset bulbs instead.
Myths
Crinum lilies cause fatal kidney failure in cats like true lilies do.
Reassuringly, crinum is not a true lily at all. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae, so its alkaloids cause a stomach upset rather than the kidney failure that true lilies and daylilies bring on 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.
The reverse holds true in the garden. Crinum forms large, long-lived bulbs and dislikes disturbance, often flowering most generously when left in place for years. Leave the clump undisturbed and it rewards the border with more flowers, not fewer.