Several years ago a retired professor from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA insisted that the writer retrieve several of the large bulbs of his Crinum (Twelve Apostles) lilies from along his walk before he sold his house. We did this.
For the past several years these have bloomed profusely, and a couple times each year.
We have a large flat stone at their location with the words dodeka apostolon written with Greek letters. The first word is Greek for twelve. The second is Greek for the plural of apostle, with the next to the last syllable emphasized. This, in Greek, means 12 apostles. The late professor liked this. He said that that was what his grandmother called them.
The light pinkish-light purple trumpets of the lily grow out at right angles on the top of a 3-4 foot leafless stalk. There are always at least 12 trumpets but not all blooming at the same time. They spread out from the same spot at the top of the stalk just as an amaryllis will do for these, and the Lycoris, are not lilies but are in the amaryllis family.
Some call this a toad lily. Others prefer graveyard lily or country lily. Still others prefer spider lily. We prefer 12 apostles lily.
The scent is a quite spicy.
Believe it or not it has been reported that Roundup will not kill them. We will definitely not test this idea. Others say that they have survived in an area that was scorched to the ground. That we can believe.
The bulbs are indeed large and can grow to the size of a grape fruit! One man, however, claimed that his grew to the size of a basketball and they had to be removed with a backhoe. We have all heard of one-up-man-ship.
The crinum grow best when crowded. They grow especially well at the edge of a pond or a stream where they receive water for their roots.
For the past several years these have bloomed profusely, and a couple times each year.
We have a large flat stone at their location with the words dodeka apostolon written with Greek letters. The first word is Greek for twelve. The second is Greek for the plural of apostle, with the next to the last syllable emphasized. This, in Greek, means 12 apostles. The late professor liked this. He said that that was what his grandmother called them.
The light pinkish-light purple trumpets of the lily grow out at right angles on the top of a 3-4 foot leafless stalk. There are always at least 12 trumpets but not all blooming at the same time. They spread out from the same spot at the top of the stalk just as an amaryllis will do for these, and the Lycoris, are not lilies but are in the amaryllis family.
Some call this a toad lily. Others prefer graveyard lily or country lily. Still others prefer spider lily. We prefer 12 apostles lily.
The scent is a quite spicy.
Believe it or not it has been reported that Roundup will not kill them. We will definitely not test this idea. Others say that they have survived in an area that was scorched to the ground. That we can believe.
The bulbs are indeed large and can grow to the size of a grape fruit! One man, however, claimed that his grew to the size of a basketball and they had to be removed with a backhoe. We have all heard of one-up-man-ship.
The crinum grow best when crowded. They grow especially well at the edge of a pond or a stream where they receive water for their roots.
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