Crinum moorei/hardiness

320083817243-0001@t-online.de 320083817243-0001@t-online.de
Sat, 26 Jun 2004 15:41:51 PDT
Dear All,


Very interesting topic! I was not aware how hardy most of the Crinums seem to 
be!

I grow Crinum X Powellii and Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet' Side by side on the base 
of a south facing wall in the open garden. Further up the wall is an old 
Wisteria and the dead leaves form a thick natural mulch. C. X Powellii is not 
even cut down to the ground in most winters. Ellen Bosanquet is smaller and 
younger and has not flowered yet but looks very good much better than another 
potted bulb I grow potted for safety. BLut Ellen Bosanquet disappears totally 
in winter quite unlikely ot  X Powellii. We can have winter temperatures down 
to -20°C but this has not happened the last winters, this very lasst one was 
particularly mild.

C. moorei is pot grown and I find it troublesome in the sense that it starts to 
grow its fan of leaves extremely early no later than February. As I overwinter 
all my dormant bulbs in the cellar (there is no space for such giants in the 
greenhouse) I end up with a pale  fan of fresh leaves that needs very carful 
acclimatising in May after all danger of frost is over. But it works and I have 
several flower spikes on a mature bulb. I once tested an extra bulb in the open 
garden but that died in the first winter. But that was long ago and I may not 
have planted it deep enough. Never a sign of summer dormancy, even not in times 
of neglect (has happened in the past) so I suspect different local races. The 
leaves of my plant are usually cut down by the first frost, were they not, I 
think the plant would remain practically evergreen with the new fan of leaves 
replacing the old one. Have never tried this for lack of space but in some 
autums I chopped the whole foliage with a sharp knife to be able to bring the 
pot inside......


Greetings from Germany, Uli


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