Middle South
June, 2011
Regional Report
Favorite or New Plant
Crinum Lily
My first crinum lily was purchased at a flea market years ago and has been divided and shared with friends many times since, a testament to this bulb's hardiness, longevity, and passalong popularity. Once established, care is amazingly simple. Crinums are adaptable to most soils and a wide range of moisture. Their drought tolerance makes them ideal container plants and yet they can endure even very wet conditions. Many are called milk-and-wine lilies because their white blossoms are streaked pink, rose, or red, but other selections offer single-colored flowers, in hues ranging from white to red. Bloom times also vary, with some varieties flowering in April, others in summer, and a few ending the season in October.
Clever Gardening Technique
Paint It Forward
If you're as absent minded as I am, you spend too much time in the garden looking for misplaced pruners, trowels, cultivators, and weeders. To make these hand tools easier to find, spray paint handles in a hard-to-miss color, such as lime green or neon pink.
