Crinums in the Shade
by Jenks Farmer
| I’ve always wanted a plant designer – a person whom I could give certain requirements for a plant, special colors, specific foliage textures and so on and know that they could design the perfect plant for the perfect spot. So do most gardeners I meet – we are dreamers, painters and creators. I admit, I dream more of Dr. Suess plants rather than Van Gogh gardens. |
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| Gardeners in lectures, workshops and emails always
want a crinum lily different from the one I have to offer! The most
common question that these dreamers ask me about crinums is, “Do
you have any crinum lilies for the shade?” Usually, the answer
is “no;” most crinums prefer full sun. But the more complicated
answer to that request is “yes;” there are two types of
crinum: The sun-loving ones we know and love and the true, and much
more rare, shade crinums.
There are really two issues here. First, I’ll quickly address the issue of sun-loving crinums growing in shade. It’s true that many other crinums will tolerate some shade. But, this isn’t usually the absolute best place for them. They may dwindle or lose vigor. They may not set as many flowers. They may look just OK. Hence, my recommendation is that they need and do best in full sun. These are the familiar flowering hybrids like ‘Ellen Bosanquet’, ‘Cecil Houdyshel’ and Orange River Lily. |
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| On to the shade crinum lilies! Some crinum species and hybrids grow best, even naturally in the shade. Our coastal, native Crinum americanum often grows in swampy meadows where it is sometimes shaded by trees, shrubs and the vigorous grass of wet meadows. The Indian plant Crinum amoenum is a riverside species that’s said to be found on shady banks. |  Crinum americanum erubescens |
| There are also cultivated plants that grow best in shade. In the tropics, even in Florida, crinum lilies are often seen as shade plants. I remember the first time I saw Crinum jagus flanking a walkway to the entrance to Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida. There, in the shade of live oaks, huge clumps 10 feet around and 4 feet tall, made elegant exclamation marks. |  Crinum jagus |
| In a city center park in Managua, Nicaragua, I saw 15’ high specimens of C. asiaticum under giant tropical trees. The entire park was swept dirt, like an old Carolina country garden – just neatly compacted dirt, upright crinum clumps pointing their arms to soaring, smooth barked trees. In Santo Domingo’s beautiful botanical garden, masses and masses of crinum make spreading groundcovers. Crinum x ‘J.C. Harvey’ is also used as a shade plant in Florida and in the Gulf states. I’ve also seen it under the shade of live oaks, lining sandy pathways like super-tall border grass – backed by elegant stalks of ginger lilies. These crinums proven to thrive are the crinums that I recommend for shade. Some are falsely deemed unsuitable outside of Florida, and they are hard to find in nurseries. But they do thrive here; there are plenty of beautiful shade-loving crinum lilies throughout the Carolinas. I know; I’ve planted a lot of them and seen a lot more in country gardens!
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 Crinum interplanted with ferns |
How to Use Shade Loving Crinum in the Garden Crinum in the shade contrast beautifully with delicate ferns and smaller textures. Interplant the two, let them run together. I used Crinum asiaticum mixed in with spreading yew and dwarf, variegated cryptomeria in a densely-shaded foundation planting by the ticket booth at Riverbanks Botanical Garden. But it’s not just about textural contrast. A crinum’s leaf shape and the plant habit contrasts with other bold, big leaf perennials in shade. Try them with hostas, dwarf gingers, true gingers, rhodea or toad lilies. Honestly, most shade-loving crinum lilies do not flower as much as sun lovers, nor do they have the brilliant colors. These crinums however, often have intricate, spider-like flowers in white, pale green and tipped with burgundy. |
 Crinum americanum stolens |
| How to Cultivate Crinum in
the Shade In shady areas, keep the soil rich and moist just as you would for any plant. Mulch and irrigation pay off for a lush effect. Avoid areas under trees with lots of surface roots. Sugar maples, water oaks and walnuts are just tough to garden under! I’ve seen beautiful shade gardens with crinums under pecan trees, live oak trees, pines, large crepe myrtles and all sorts of palms. Though a crinum will thrive under a low-branched crepe myrtle, a little extra light never hurts. Look for way to prune small, dense trees to open the canopy. High shade is best for most shade plants, and these crinums are no exception. Once large and established, crinum bulbs may grow deeply and the need for irrigation and extra mulch diminishes. My friend Eric had a big tin bucket of Crinum americanum under a hackberry tree. He put them in the container to show them off and to ensure they had rich soil and no competition from tree roots. Three years later, the crinum roots reached into the ground and little crinum lily tufts started coming up in the dry ground and lawn all around the bucket! Crinum Lilies for Shade Crinum americanum form erubescens Swamp Bells |
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