Crinum Lily

Crinum lilies offer a plethora of delightful cultivars from height to color and growing conditions. Their glossy, robust leaves charm the garden with warm season structure.

With their fragrant, summer flowers, crinum lilies have been the obsession of many a botanist throughout history. As with many other plants, such as roses and tulips, this obsession led to much human manipulation of the flower color and other attributes through hybridization.

They are perfectly comfortable in the hot summers of the southern U.S., but need a little extra irrigation in periods without rainfall, in order to thrive. They’re perfect for rain gardens, too, where rainfall collects and then dries out.

Plant in partial shade or full sun, and they’ll benefit from the addition of two to three inches of organic mulch, which releases moisture into the air as it dries.

No pest problems and they are (supposedly) deer resistant!

Most cultivars are three to four feet tall and almost as wide at maturity, so give them plenty of space.

Crinum lilies are perennial, dying back to the ground each winter: simply cut back browned leaves in early spring.

Like many bulbs, crinum lilies create offshoots that are easily dug and separated, making them great pass-along plants. The foliage can get a bit droopy and unkempt, and if it does, simply snip off the damaged leaves, if you find them too unsightly.