Leave it to me (as my husband is so oftenly and fondly noting) to plant something that will OUTGROW it's home...BUT this time..I (and he) don't mind for my Hymenocallis 'Tropical Giant' is planted where the Ole Meanie next door can't see me sitting in my swing on my screened-in porch..what a beauty..a Native of Mexico and of the beloved Amaryllis family..truly a joy in the heat of summer and fall and a longlasting bloomer with such regal blooms
Reminds me of the 4th of July fireworks and check out her leaves..so green and luscious that anyone would want her just for her foliage!
I've had her for 6..almost 7 yrs and this year along with my Crinums..her leaves melted from my unusually cold winter of '2009!!..I can imagine her growing wild in the jungles of Mexico..can't you?..Her leaves are so rich
hmmm...I just love her blooms.don't you?..Hope you enjoyed my "4th of July" display...Jeanne
Very impressive. Has anyone here had luck growing it as a house plant? Plan B: grow them outside and harvest the bukbs as it reaches freezing, winter the bulbs indoors?
This message was edited Jul 7, 2010 8:28 AM
that plant is AMAZING!!! Drooling on my keyboard here ... another one to add to my must have list. I also would love to hear about anyone's experience growing it as a house plant, or bringing bulbs in.
WOW, that's beautiful :)
I have a few but I have to dig mine up as they'll turn to mush :(
Mine aren't the giant form either!
I WANT SOME :)
Wow, Jeanne...I have a smaller ones blooming now but yours are on steroids.
Betsy
Mine are much smaller, mine will never be huge considering I have to dig them up every fall :(
Do they multiply as readily when you dig them up in the fall?
it is very beautiful. Does it have fragrance?
They say they have fragrance but mine have absolutely none!
Hmm. I think lots of crinums have best fragrance either early am or late pm. Have you tried smelling them during those times?
I've seen these and a lot of other neato spider lilies in the Plant Delights catalog. May just have to get one after seeing yours!
I really haven't tried to "sniff" it but sure must now that you asked!!..Mine grow directly in the gardens but for those of you in zones that Amaryllis can't be grown outside then potting them up for winter would be fine as long as you don't overwater and turn the bulb to mush inside..I grow tons of Amaryllis outside and I have HUGE Plumerias which I dig up each fall and store in my garage and plant outside again once the low temps stay above 45degrees...Jeanne
Oh I did mention growing Amaryllis out in the gardens..didn't I?
JeanneTX, wouderful clump of hymenocallis. I had them planted across the front of my house for years and they were always blooming on the 4th of July. We had an extremely cold and wet winter some years back and I lost them all.
Aren't the beautiful Bward :)
Yes they do have a scent...I just smelled them...faint but there...Jeanne
It's a beauty as is everything in your garden. I love seeing all your pictures.
Christine
Very beautiful!
Ahhh..thanks Christine and Dean
That is absolutely gorgeous! What a beauty!
From one Jeanne to another! haha!
Just a question to satisfy my overwhelming personal curiosity. I have never grown this plant.
Your plant appears to be Hymenocallis caribaea but there is some difference of opinion on the internet as to whether it grows from a bulb, corm or rhizome. If you have seen the actual underground stem can you refer to this site below and tell me which of the three best resembles the underground growth?
Bulbs are like onions (which are a bulb) and have roots growing from the bottom with a basal plate and layers inside. A bulb is only a condensed stem usually with a basal plate and fleshy storage leaves surrounding the bud that will form the next plant. The fleshy leaves are the layers of an onion which normally are surrounded by a type of papery skin (parenchyma). You can see a diagram of this on the link I am giving.
Corms are somewhat similar but don't have th internal layers plus other differences. A corm is an underground stem to which the above-ground parts of the plant may die back in the dormant season. Foliage will come from the top, and roots from the base like a typical stem. If you look at the photos and read the description on the University of Illinois site you'll understand the difference.
A rhizome is a stem that runs either along or just beneath the surface of the soil.
If you could check the diagrams on this link and then tell me what you actually see I would very much appreciate the feedback. I don't remember a diagram for a rhizome but they are fairly evident if you see one.
The best I can understand from reading is it is a true bulb but a few scientific sources differ with one specifically calling it a rhizome.
Thanks,
Steve
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/bulbs/bulbbasics.cfm
This message was edited Aug 16, 2010 3:21 AM
It was a bulb when I planted it 6 years ago
Thanks
Hi Steve! All Hymenocallis grow from evergreen or deciduous bulbs.
We have a naturalized Spider Lily, Hymenocallis pedalis in Hawai'i that grows from an evergreen bulb. As it matures it makes offsets on the ground and produces offsets on the flower stalks after flowering. It fills in the ground around it with new plants and travels as the flower stalks fall over. Eventually it forms dense clumps with no intruders. It can be aggressive but makes weed free patches with no help from the gardener and is impressive as the patch blooms all at once!
This patch is about 3 ft. tall.
Thanks for the info Dave.
Steve
You are so welcomed and yes mine has gotten HUGE
I love them :)
God help you if ever you need to move it. I've got the smaller species Hymenocallis littoralis. Decided last week I needed to dig it out and split it up. Talk about back breaking work! Next time I might hire an excavator to do the job, LOL.
I can only Imagine..
