Many moments in the garden are unforgettable, and many more that you love but they then slide from your mind. Some of my unforgettable moments involve areas where I gained expertise or did something exactly right.
Others (many others) include embarrassing garden moments and downright failures from doing something wrong. But the one moment that seems to stand out the most in my gardening memory bank goes back to the days of digging up my growing crinum lily plants.
Crinum Lily Bulbs – Warning, They Get Big
Digging the crinum bulbs for a move was definitely an unforgettable garden moment. They’d been planted about 10 years and who knew they would get so huge. There were many babies on them as well. If you want to grow them, be forewarned that crinum bulbs can become sizable, sometimes reaching anywhere from 9-10 inches (20-26 cm.) in diameter. While they may begin smaller, weighing in at a mere 1-2 pounds, those mature crinum bulbs can get up to 20 lbs. (9 kg.) or more.
While mine didn’t get quite that large, they were still big enough that it made digging them up a rather tedious task. Replanting those crinum lilies in another location allowed them an opportunity to grow even more, which is good since, in addition to their large growth, they stick around for a long time… something else I didn’t consider when I first planted them.
Originally a native to southeast Asia, the plant has adapted well to the American South. Crinums are also known as a cemetery plant, growing in old graveyards and plantations in the Southeast. Estimates lead some to think the flowers may continue to grow for 100 years or longer. In many cases, they live longer than those who planted them. No doubt mine will linger on long after I’m gone – many of my descendants too.
And it’s not just the crinum bulbs that get big. Those I planted in the ground have bloomed on stalks 3 to 5 feet high (.91 to 1.5 m.) with fragrant, bell-shaped blooms in pink or white. They can, however, get up to 6 feet (1.8 m.) in height. When you see the spring blooms and smell the sweet scent, you might be reminded of an unforgettable moment too. The same blooms may cause a loved one to think of you after you’re gone”¦like remembering the growing crinum lily plants in grandma’s garden.
