Lycoris chinensis. Courtesy Brent and Becky's Bulbs
With the milder winters becoming more and more common in our area, I have become confident that I can try “southern” plants. Southern plants thrive in hot and humid summers but need a mild winter to make it to the next year. They are usually winter hardy to zone 7 or 8, not the uppermost states of zone 5 in the mid-Atlantic region. Already I have my eye on loropetalums (Loropetalum chinensis), traditionally thought of as an evergreen southern bush. But I am particularly interested in expanding into an entire family of bulbs: the amaryllis family.
Many of us in the mid-Atlantic already grow the well-known spring bloomers of Amaryllidaceae: the yellow daffodils (Narcissus), the white snowdrops (Galanthus), and the even larger, white snowflakes (Leucojum). Most gardeners, however, are not aware of a plethora of summer bloomers, even fall bloomers, which could be hardy enough to remain in the ground over winter.
My interest in this particular family of bulbs is twofold. First, amaryllis flowers are fragrant and bloom when not much else can withstand our summer heat and humidity. Second, the plants contain a toxic alkaloid called lycorine. Deer, rodents, and animals in general are not interested in eating the plants, which makes them ideal candidates for gardens susceptible to grazing deer.
Therefore, a stand of crinums, known to populate confederate cemeteries and abandoned plantations, should thrive in my garden, unfazed by deer. Crinum bulbs are the largest in the amaryllis family, often as large as grapefruits, and may be the longest living. If they like their new digs, they will outlive you and become a permanent fixture in the landscape. Unlike a Dutch hybrid amaryllis (the type that blooms indoors at Christmas), their foliage is more like a fountain: the leaves emerge in the late spring and flow out from the center. In mid-summer to fall, very tall, two to three feet scapes (the leafless stalk that produces the blooms) emerge with trumpet-like flowers that look more like lilies and range in color from white, pink, red, purple/mauve, to even peach.
Amaryllis flowers are fragrant and bloom when not much else can withstand the summer heat and humidity.There are about 100 species in the Crinum genus and many cultivars. Some are definitely too tender to over winter here but several are hardy. You may not find them in your local nursery but they are available in catalogs, which should also list the winter hardiness zones.
Crinum 'Sangria' Courtesy Plant Delights Nursery
“Crinum bulbispermum is supposedly the hardiest crinum; it blooms in late May to early June. I get two or three flushes of flowers,” says Jim Dronenburg, a Knoxville, Maryland, resident who has been gardening for over 40 years, is a member of many gardening clubs, and works part-time at a local nursery. Jim has been experimenting with the amaryllis family for the past 15 years. “I have had two bulbs in the courtyard for eight years now and they bloom and go to seed regularly.” Jim also grows C. x powelli, a pink flowering type, and C. x powelli ‘Album,’ a white flowering type, both of which have proven to be equally hardy.
A very popular cultivar is Crinum ‘Ellen Bosanquet,’ which is hardy to zone 6 to 7 and flowers in mid-June with red-purple flowers on 2-foot scapes. An unusual “what is that?” cultivar is Crinum ‘Sangria.’ Its rose-pink flowers bloom against dark purple foliage, similar to the burgundy type of ornamental grasses.
A much smaller type of crinum is x Amarcrinum howardii, also known as ‘Fred Howard.’ “Of the summer blooming bulbs, x Amarcrinum is the least utilized but one of the nicest,” believes Becky Heath, co-owner of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs nursery in Gloucester, Virginia. “The first year it is planted it is nice, the second year it is better, the third year it is amazing, and the fourth year is to die for.” Hardy to at least zone 7, ‘Fred Howard’ has scented, pale pink flowers on top of 2- to 3-foot tall scapes and blooms from August to frost.
“I have grown x Amarcrinums for about seven years now,” adds Jim. “The ‘Fred Howard’ bulbs took off and never looked back.”
Also known to “take off” is Lycoris, a genus of about eight to 17 species of spider lilies that bloom in August without foliage. Typically the foliage appears afterwards in the fall, stays above ground over winter, and becomes dormant in the spring. Spider lilies propagate quickly; their offspring, the new bulbs, are easy to dig up and give to friends.
“I have grown Lycoris for years,” says Jim. “They multiply, are gemlike in their colors, and bloom when I need bloom in the garden.”The hardiest is Lycoris squamigera, (zone 5) which blooms pink, tubular flowers on 2-foot-tall scapes. “L. squamigera is an old ‘can’t kill it’ plant,” promises Jim. His current stand of 150 was produced from an original set of 40 bulbs he dug up from a neighbor’s garden about 15 years ago. Similar in structure and also hardy to zone 5 is L. sprengeri, but the flowers are electric pink-blue on 18-inch scapes.
Lycoris radiata. Courtesy Plant Delights Nursery
More popular in the south is L. radiata, which is hardy to zone 7, and maybe even zone 6 with protection. These flowers are truly spider-like with red thread “petals” creating a fringed top above 18-inch scapes. L. chinensis is similar in structure but has yellow to orange flowers, and L. x houdyshelii is white with very frilly flowers.
For flowers that look like the Dutch hybrid amaryllis, there is the hardy amaryllis, also known as Johnson amaryllis or St. Joseph’s lily (Hippeastrum x johnsonii). Hardy to zone 7, this bulb blooms in early summer with fragrant flowers on 20-inch scapes against glossy green foliage. The flowers are red with a white stripe. A plant similar in flower structure, but with much shorter, 12-inch scapes, is the ox blood lily (Rhodophiala bifida). Red with no stripes, the flowers bloom in late summer to fall, without leaves. Because the foliage grows in the winter and becomes dormant by spring, these zone 7 bulbs are great for splashing red color against a green groundcover.
If you like crocus in the spring, you will like rain lilies in the fall. Rain lilies are so named because they will often bloom after it rains. Hardy to zone 7, Zephyranthes has about 70 species, but only a few are available commercially. Recently, however, new cultivars have been produced in Indonesia that warrant trying: Batik (apricot-colored flowers), Krakatau (red-orange), Java (orange-brown), Jakarta Jewel (pink), and Bali Beauty (yellow with pink veins). All of these are from 6- to 8-inches tall with large, 21/2- to 3-inch flowers.
“Rain lilies like sun and a well draining soil,” says Jim. “Winter wet will kill a lot more things than winter cold will. Rain lilies tend to bloom in summer, usually about five days after a good thunderstorm.”
Of the species, the white flowering Zephyranthes candida is considered the hardiest. “It thrives,” says Becky. “It is so strong.” There also is Z. citrina, which has yellow flowers, and Z. rosea, which has pink flowers.
Most unusual is the Peruvian daffodil, Hymenocallis narcissiflora. Hardy to zone 7, the 6-inch, strap-like petals radiate out from a center cup, similar to a daffodil corona. “They are just wonderful,” says Becky. “They are critter proof and fragrant. Hymenocallis ‘Sulphur Queen’ has unbelievable fragrance, especially in the evening.” There are about 30 to 40 species but few are available commercially. Flowers range in color from white to yellow on 18- to 24-inch scapes in early to mid summer. They bloom very quickly after planting, just four to six weeks, and the foliage remains throughout the summer.
All of these bulbs should be planted in the spring, after the last frost date. Because they are considered southern, there may be greater variety in the mail order catalogs than in the local nurseries. Bulbs won’t need food the first year, but they may benefit from a bulb fertilizer or compost in the following years. With the exception of Lycoris, which can take some shade, they all need full sun and well drained soil.
Amaryllis bulbs are very friendly; they can be planted with other perennials and annuals in a garden bed but keep in mind that some have summer foliage while others have winter foliage.
“When planting [Amaryllis], they always look better in clumps or with friends around them. You don’t want them in a line like soldiers”- Becky Heath, Brent and Becky Bulbs
“When planting, they always look better in clumps or with friends around them,” advises Becky. “You don’t want them in a line like soldiers.” Becky suggests that a group of five would be needed if you were going to view them relatively close, while 10 may be needed to enjoy them from afar.
Overall, bulbs in the amaryllis family make excellent “perennials” in our area, they produce beautiful scented flowers in the summer, they are disease resistant, and they are animal proof. An added bonus is that the flowers can be cut for indoor arrangements!
Peggy Riccio is a Contributing Editor to ChesapeakeHome.
Sources for bulbs:
Wayside Gardens: waysidegardens.com or 800-213-0379
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs: brentandbeckysbulbs.com or 877-661-2852
McClure and Zimmerman: mzbulb.com or 800-546-4053
Van Bourgondien: dutchbulbs.com or 800-622-9997
Old House Gardens: oldhousegardens.com or 734-995-1486
The Southern Bulb Company: southernbulbs.com or 903-768-2530
Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.: plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794
Shields Gardens, Ltd.: shieldsgardens.com or 866-449-3344
Yucca Do Nursery: yuccado.com or 979-826-4580
