The Crinum Connection
Stopping to smell the flowers
By Arlene Marturano marturano@yahoo.com

Growing up in the company of crinums, horticulturist Jenks Farmer extols the virtues of the robust subtropical bulb. Native to south Africa, crinums made their way to the Caribbean, Central America, and the American south via 18th century trade routes. Evidence of their rooting across the south is found in roadside ditches, cemeteries, abandoned home sites, country cottage gardens, and manicured estates and public gardens.

Farmer first introduced Columbia to crinums on a large scale when he was curator of Riverbanks Botanic Garden. His crinums are visible on City of Columbia landscape plantings off Rosewood Drive and Farrow Road. Farmer included a crinum ground cover in his design for the newly restored Seibels house garden on Richland Street.

Although the plant is ubiquitous in the rural south, the potential uses for crinums in good design for the home garden and urban landscape have not been realized. The large straplike leaves don't always make the best first impression. Farmer wants to transform the ugly duckling image of the plant as it appears in nurseries to a swan for the garden. Finding the right plant for the right place is part of the solution. Some crinums are especially good ground covers. Others look best in clusters or clumps. Some crinums are best for borders and simulate border grasses. Some varieties are great as container plants. Most crinums are sun dwellers but a few like 'J.C. Harvey' perform well in the shade with hosta, ferns, and ginger lilies. Farmer is currently testing specimens for water tolerance to find varieties for bog and water gardens. He dreams of the day when crinums are seen cross country on Interstate plantings from zone seven south.

Photos contributed by Jenks Farmer Horticulturist Jenks Farmer extols the virtues of the robust subtropical crinum bulb.

Members of the Amaryllis family, crinum bulbs are large and range in size from tennis balls to grapefruits. The bulbs are easy to cultivate producing mounds of foliage centered with tall stalks of fragrant white, pink, red, or burgundy flowers. Long flower stalks make dramatic cut flower arrangements.

This is a family operation (l- r): Farmer's sister Louisa, niece Caroline, nephew Rober, partner Tom Hall, mother Gloria Farmer, and Jenks Farmer.

The plants are tolerant of poor soil, neglect and even abandonment. However, they will thrive on a diet of chicken manure, monthly fertilizer and weekly watering.

Crinums are the Methuselah's of garden bulbs outliving their owners and heirs. Since they are pest and disease free and resistant to brown thumbs, plan on a long green friendship.

Crinums are one of the best garden investments since they will multiply prodigiously over the long term.

For twelve years Farmer has been growing and selling fine specimens of crinum at his family farm in Beech Island, S.C. The farm is featured in the summer

2008 issue of Perennials

published by Better Homes

and Gardens. Gift givers and crinum hunters can start searching for garden varieties at Lushlife nursery at www.lushlifegarden.com.

Plant a new bulb in a 10" hole, but with the neck just below soil level.