Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Walking among the Cardiocrinum giganteum

An invitation to come see the giant Himalayan lilies showed up in my inbox: “Several folks have asked to visit our garden when the Cardiocrinums are blooming. So we thought we’d send out an invitation to our friends…” They had over 150 blooming stalks, a record for their garden, which goes by the name of Old Germantown Gardens and is named after the road on which they live. Some of you may have visited (it was a stop on the 2014 Garden Bloggger's Fling), or perhaps seen my previous blog posts, the most recent visit during the winter.

How could I miss this spectacle? This simple answer is, I could not.

I hadn’t toured a garden for ages—heck I hadn't even left home in ages—and as gardens go I knew this would be a safe one, it’s huge! Plus, they’d asked their guests to wear masks. I ventured out on our first forecast sunny day after a streak of very wet ones. I was not disappointed.










The scent of these flowers was unbelievable, even through a mask of two fabric layers and a filter. And in fact, truth be told, on more than one occasion I pulled back my mask to get the full experience, it was heavenly. 

If you're not familiar with these lilies the the plant originates in China, India, Myanmar and Tibet. They grow in US Zones 7 to 9 and the bulb is said to take 4-5 years to flower, although a friend of mine just had hers flower after a 8-9 year wait. The flowers themselves are around 8" long and the stalks are typically 7 to 9 feet tall. The bulb dies after the flowers bloom, but offsets remain. They are incredible.







While  I would love to grow these beauties in my garden, I simply don't have the space. They take on such an otherworldly quality when grown en masse as they are here in this garden. Walking among them was a magical experience.

—   —   —

Weather Diary, June 22: Hi 86, Low 54/ Precip 0 

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

22 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 23, 2020

    That's incredible! I had my single Cardiocrinum flower this year (zone 7a, NJ), but it was just under 6' tall. I guess I needed to fertilize it more. But the fragrance! Thanks for sharing this.

    Steve B.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I bet there's no other place on the West Coast that has as many Cardiocrinum. What a sight! And what a garden! I can't even imagine what it must be like to garden on such a scale.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't believe how fabulous these are, especially when blooming en masse. Chloris (A Blooming Garden) just posted on her bloom and remarked at just how long these plants take to bloom from seed and the lag between bloom cycles once you get a mature plant. I'm glad you had an opportunity to see this and share it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These guys have so many plants staggered in age, I think they have some blooming every year. I had the chance to adopt a plant or two from them this spring, but I just don't have the space...

      Delete
  4. What a gift -- a rare and magical experience. Thanks for taking us along!

    ReplyDelete
  5. They are wonderful en masse. Mine are shorter this year, which I put down to the two months drought while the spikes were growing. They didn't take so long to flower after I first bought them. Maybe three years? Besides, the leaves are worth it while you're waiting! The most off-putting thing for me is lily beetle. Manageable though, since I don't grow any other liliaceae nowadays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think lily beetle is an issue here, yet...

      Delete
  6. Such a beautiful display. What a treat to be able to tour it with the CC's in full glory. I would have taken my mask off too just to get a whiff of their incredible perfume.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so good! Not too heavy like some lilies can be.

      Delete
  7. Wow, they are so beautiful and at 7' tall - that must have been amazing to see. These shots make me think of the forest primeval.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Even in your photos they look magical. I can imagine being there and the fragrance wafting all along that path.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I could have taken you all with me! (socially distanced of course)

      Delete
  9. You brought back memories of that magical garden. Thank you!

    There were some enormous Crinums at the SDBG last I was there, truly monumental. This display at OGT is even better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Better than a botanic garden! I'll have to let them know.

      Delete
  10. AnonymousJune 24, 2020

    Once more you've made it possible to visit a garden I would have never experienced otherwise. For the many visitors to your site who garden in colder climates there are Cardiocrinums that can add a bit of the magic you've shown, into their own Edens as well. Years ago my dear friend Don shared with me some off-sets from a Cardiocrinum giganteum var yunanense that has preformed flawlessly for us here in So-east Michigan Zn 5 (polar vortexes and all)! The cultivar we are growing tops out around 6 ft, the blooms are only 6" long, but is wider and held straight out from the stalk, with the same maroon markings inside the flower and an iintoxicating perfume. There is a good amount of variability within the species so you may have to try a few times till you find one to fit your conditions. Seed from the clone that Don has been spreading around does get sent in to the NARGS Seed Exchange.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! 150 stalks... I remember the garden and the lilies well from the 2014 Fling, but 150 - just wow! Gorgeous photos - thanks for sharing the experience. What a fantastic woodland addition - if only I had a full blown woodland... sigh!

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMG!! I would go visit just to see one of those flowers blooming, let alone a forest full of them.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!