August's Flower of the Month

String Lily 

 (Crinum erubescens)  

The beautiful string lily blooms this month. Tall flower stalks arise from the ground and hold milky-white, starlike flowers well above the foliage. Beginning in late July or early August and continuing through the summer, the pinkish buds open to reveal large, fragrant flowers. Rosy stamens perch above the flowers, giving them an ethereal, spidery look. Strap-shaped leaves provide substance in the garden until frost. 

Crinum erubescens closely resembles our native C. americanum that blooms in a local park and along the banks of nearby rivers. As a matter of fact, the two look like identical twins. Gardeners, however, will have no trouble deciding which one they have. C. erubescens grows well in ordinary garden soil. Crinum americanum, on the other hand, grows and blooms only on boggy or wet sites.  

If you are able to get string lily for your garden, plant it in ordinary garden soil and give it some protection from harsh afternoon sun. While some fertility is desirable, too much will cause the plants to grow too vigorously.  

Foliage is killed to the ground by a freeze, but it comes back up reliably in spring. Rhizomes run about quite freely in good garden soil, so division may be required. A boundary or structure may be needed to keep plants within bounds. 

Getting additional plants is as easy as dividing the wide-ranging roots. Plants are easily dug and replanted where desired, or extras can be potted up to share. C. erubescens grows well in tubs and other containers. As a matter of fact, tub culture is sometimes recommended as a method to keep growth within bounds.

I found references in the literature to this plant by several different names. Some are: Crinum americanum ‘Robustum’, Crinum americanum forma erubescens, and C. americanum var. robustum. 

According to Scott Ogden in Garden Bulbs for the South, there is a miniature form of this crinum. It behaves much like the larger C. erubescens, but tiny flowers only reach about six inches tall. He suggests that this diminutive version would be useful as a small-scale groundcover. 

The string lily is one of my garden’s beautiful surprises. I was pleased to find a form of it that grows well in my garden. Keep your eyes open for such a lily in gardeners’ yards. Ask for a start of it, or order from on-line sources. I found several listed on the web. It’s worth searching for. 

 At a Glance

Say:  KRY-num er-yoo-BESS-enz

Family:  Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis Family)

Other names:  String Lily

Origin:  South America

Zones:  7-10

Light:  Partial shade

Water Use Zone:  Moderate

Size:  1-3 feet tall

Soil:  Organic, well-drained

Salt tolerance:  Moderate