Crinum Hardiness Notes From Here and There
Crinum hardiness is often thought about in terms of cold winters--and this may be the single most limiting factor in growing Crinum in various climates. But, other parameters will influence success with crinums.
Here along the Gulf Coast (near Houston, TX) it seems that humidity and rain can be limiting factors too. Many Crinum are desert plants, or plants of well-drained soils in seasonally arid regions. Thus, while they can survive some degrees of frost in the dormant state if they are dry, they cannot survive cold coupled with wetness. Dr. Lehmiller has written about growing Crinum and one of the points he has stressed is that cold is exacerbated by dampness; many Crinum species need to be kept dry at temperatures below 45 F (Lehmiller D. J. 1996. Cultivation of African Crinum in Pots and Tubs. Herbertia 51: 33-37).
No doubt, hardiness ratings for most species and cultivars will be influenced by winter wetness. Like many cacti and succulents, most Crinum will probably survive extreme temperatures better if they have good drainage. Raised beds and fast-draining soils can overcome many cold problems. This has been amply demonstrated by The African Garden in England. In fact they have a great Web page describing how to make a raised gravel bed for growing plants that are not happy with winter wetness. Such raised gravel bed is similar to the approach taken by others to grow desert plants in climates that are generally far too wet for cacti and succulents. Benny Møller Jensen has a great Web site that explains in detail how to grow cacti and succulents in northern Europe. His ideas are surely suitable for providing drainage that many bulbs require; see his information on raised bed construction for cacti and succulents in wet climates.
Marcelle has grown all of the Crinum species that are indicated in the "species pages" along the Gulf Coast of Texas. However, many have not survived over the years (e.g., Crinum flaccidum) and perhaps the loss was due to year-round rain and humidity because Marcelle grows her plants outside for the most part (see Crinum Culture).
Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery has provided the following list of Crinum hybrids that have survived 5 degrees F in his garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. Full details should be sought from Tony Avent, but no doubt the nursery provided fast-draining soil and perhaps raised beds as well. Marcelle has grown those marked with an asterisk (*) and reports they do just fine outdoors all year in East Texas.
Crinums Hardy to 5 Degrees F
*Crinum 'Alamo Village'
*Crinum 'Birthday Party'
*Crinum 'Bradley'
*Crinum 'Cape Dawn'
*Crinum 'Carnival'
*Crinum 'Carolina Beauty'
Crinum 'Carroll Abbott'
*Crinum 'Cecil Houdyschel'
*Crinum 'Claude Davis'
*Crinum 'Elizabeth Traub'
*Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet'
*Crinum 'Emma Jones'
Crinum 'Fancy Pants'
*Crinum 'Fay Horn buckel'
Crinum 'Flamingo'
*Crinum 'Garden Party'
Crinum 'H. J. Elwes'
*Crinum 'Hannibal's Dwarf'
*Crinum 'J. C. Harvey'
*Crinum 'Lorraine Clark'
*Crinum 'Magenta'
Crinum 'Maureen Spinks'
*Crinum 'Maximillian'
*Crinum 'Mrs. Horace Kennedy'
*Crinum 'Mrs. James Hendry'
*Crinum 'Mystery'
Crinum 'Ollene'
*Crinum 'Parfait'
Crinum 'Regina's Disco Lounge'
*Crinum 'Rose Parade'
*Crinum 'Royal White'
*Crinum 'Ruth Dubuisson' clone
*Crinum 'Saint Christopher'
Crinum 'Sangria'
*Crinum 'Schreck' clone
*Crinum 'Southern Belle'
*Crinum 'Stars 'N Stripes'
*Crinum 'Summer Nocturne''
*Crinum 'Sundance'
*Crinum 'Twelve Apostles'
Crinum 'Vera Cruz'
*Crinum 'White Queen'
*Crinum 'William Herbert'
Crinum (bulbispermum x macowanii)
*Crinum amabile
*Crinum americanum
Crinum amoenum
*Crinum bulbispermum
Crinum bulbispermum 'Frances Marion Galloway'
*Crinum bulbispermum 'Sacramento'
*Crinum x digweedii
*Crinum erubescens
*Crinum japonicum
*Crinum moorei
Crinum moorei 'Mediopicta'
Crinum moorei 'Star Burst'
Crinum powelli 'Rosea'
Crinum x eboracii 'Pecan Tree Inn'
Crinum x herbertii 'Blockade Runner'
*Crinum x powellii 'Album'
Crinum x powellii 'Great White Prince'
|
