Crinum bulbispermum

I fell in love with this plant when I saw it growing at the Ruth Bancroft Garden & it wasn’t even in bloom yet! The foliage by itself was enough to win me over. Arching swirling blue-green leaves grow to 3’ long & form a 2’ high rosette. The flowers are wonderful too. The amaryllis-like blooms are white with a deep pink stripe down the middle & are sweetly spicy scented. Blooms in early Summer & later has attractive pink seed capsules. Native to seasonally swampy grasslands & riverbanks in South Africa, this plant can take high water but in Winter, when it goes dormant, it prefers to be a bit drier. The bulb can grow as large as a football & has been used traditionally to treat common colds, rheumatism, varicose veins, earache & to promote lactation. Local people also believe this plant can protect against evil. Makes a good container plant & is deer resistant. Has been grown up to USDA zone 5 with Winter mulch protection, but can be grown in up to zone 8b without protection.

Kelly Kilpatrick
Propagator