Crinum Lily 'Super Ellen'

I acquired a tiny piece of this about 20 years ago. It's blooming in my Jacksonville, FL garden 9A, started yesterday with 3 stalks alrea...Read Moredy loaded with flowers. It gets middle of the day filtered sun. Watered regularly, I have never fertilized it. Great plant!

I acquired a bulb of C. "Super Ellen" via mail order two years ago, but it didn't make it through the winter. After learning from the ow...Read Morener of a Virginia nursery where I purchased dome C. x powellii from last year that the secret to growing hardy Crinums is to plant the bulbs deep, I bought another Super Ellen from the same mail order nursery last year & planted it at least 12" (30 cm) deep, and it made it through the winter, emerging around the end of the first week of May this year.

One thing I like about this particular Crinum, even though mine is still most likely a few years away from blooming is that everything about this particular variety is big. Even just a few weeks after putting up its first leaves, my immature Super Ellen is already larger than the mature, flowering-sized powellii bulbs I planted last year, and will probably only get bigger over time. The leaves look almost like a 1/3 scale version of the large tropical C. asiaticum plants I've seen planted all over Hawaii & Florida.

All in all, a really great hardy crinum, and one I want to get more of.

I believe that hardy crinums like this would be especially valuable here in the north where lily leaf beetle now makes growing good lilie...Read Mores difficult, because crinums, from a different family, are unsuitable hosts.

One rule of thumb I've heard from successful growers of hardy crinums in zones 5-6: the bulbs should be at least two inches thick before they will overwinter in the garden. Till then, grow it in a pot and winter it over dormant in a cool space like an unheated garage.

I've just bought two bulbs, and will report back if and when I can plant them in the garden.

I wish I could post a picture of my Crinum Lily here it is beautiful. I live in central Fl. I planted 1 bulb 3 years ago and have had flo...Read Morewers the last 2 years. It is in partial, not full sun as the sun is very hot here. each stem produces many flowers. Last year each had about 6 this year they have about 10 in each bud. I don't do anything special to them. It has gotten so big I am going to try and separate the bulbs next year before it gets too big.