Crinum 'alan's white' & 'menehune'

Crinum ‘Alan’s White’

Crinum asiaticum ‘Alan’s White’

Photograph by Alan Shapiro

Photographed early November. Gainesville, Florida.

Sword like leaves make a contemporary statement in light shade or sun. Spidery flower are pure white and slightly fragrant. A bold plant that adds tropical flair.

Flowering Time: Mid Summer.

Foliage: Rich green leaves, thrust upward and look great for months. Alan’s selection has very dark green leaves which makes the white flowers seem more white.

Growth Rate: Medium to slow. Slow to emerge in spring but grows quickly in June and July.

Ultimate Height: 36 inches. If you wrap it in winter, you can get it up to 8 feet!

Special Care: This is thought of as a tropical as its common in Florida. But, it is cold hardy in Zone 8.

Every few years it is killed to the ground. It comes back in spring. Can be subject to grasshopper or thrip damage in late summer-- simply cut the leaves off.

Gardening Tips: Great in masses in front of walls or solid backgrounds. Looks best in very light shade. If you want to grow a really big one, simply wrap it with straw in the winter.

Suggested Combinations: Dramatic contrast with fine textured asparagus ferns or in a pot with a weeping vine. Looks great thrusting up from a mass of shield fern or blue plumbago.

Dwarf Crinum

Crinum ‘Menehune’ Photograph June 22. Moore Farms, Lake City, South Carolina.

The tiniest of Crinum lilies has purple, almost black leaves look great all summer. It’s sort of like a thick, purple monkey grass. This crinum tops out at 2 feet tall making elegant clumps in sun to light shade.

Special Care: Grows fine in normal soil but loves boggy soil. If in a container, let stand in a saucer of water. Cold hardy around Columbia, Augusta and Florence. But we are on the northern range for this.

Flowering Time: July. But, it doesn’t flower much.

Grow for the dramatic leaves.

Gardening Tips: Looks great in pots or raised beds where it’s form can be appreciated. Makes a great ‘porch plant’ as it does well in part shade. In pots, keep in a saucer of water. Appreciates light shade.

Plant for foliage only. In three years, I’ve only ever seen ONE flower. A very similar plant is sold under the trademark name Purple Dream.

Suggested Combinations: Really nice alone in a pot or with a bright, weeping groundcover. Pair with similar form leaves such as rain lily. Or with contrasting colors.

One Halloween, I put three of these in a big pot & planted around the base with orange viola.

Foliage: In light shade, the leaves are burgundy, long and arching. In full sun, they are black, shorter & stiff.

Growth Rate: Fast. Goes dormant each winter but is back in April. Makes a spreading clump. In a pot by my door, it was only dormant mid-Nov till early April.

Ultimate Height: 24 inches.