Cardiocrinum giganteum

GIANT HIMALAYAN LILY

Cardiocrinum giganteum
GIANT HIMALAYAN LILY

Cardiocrinum giganteum has spectacular towers of showy white trumpets marked with purple.
And they waft a sweetly enticing perfume as they bloom in summer.

So the Giant Himalayan Lily is an absolute stunner, and one of the Holy Grails for gardeners.
Because all who behold are instantly in love.
Including the bees, who can’t believe their luck with all those nectar rich trumpets.
And the bees help us too because pollination helps the original bulbs to produce more offsets.

Beneath the towering spires of flowers on their thick, strong stems, there is a neat clump of shiny pointed foliage.
So it is an absolute stunner under trees and shrubs.

They are modestly frost hardy, but the overhead protection from their shelter trees gives protection.
They love rich compost in woodland conditions and plenty of old leaf litter and mulch. However underneath the soil should be well-drained. So it is a good idea to incorporate some gravel into the enriched soil of their planting hole.

Cardiocrinum forms a bulb & makes offsets each year.

Towering, utterly gasp making 2metres High flower towers x 75cm. Wide foliage clump.

SEED SOWING ADVICE:

Can be sown indoors at any time of year.

First sow the seeds on the surface of good quality potting mix. C
Then cover the seeds with 6mm of sieved mix or coarse sand.

Now keep the sown punnet moist for 2-3 weeks.
Temperatures of 13-18C. at this stage are ideal to prepare the seeds for rapid and optimum germination.
Then after 2-3 weeks warm, next wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling-wrap.
And place in the fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.
So this persuades the seeds that winter has been.

After the period of chilling remove the punnet from fridge, remove cling-wrap.
Ensure punnet is moist.
Then return return the moist, sown punnet to a position at 13-18C.
And now be patient.

Seedlings will emerge at all different times and over a period. This is perfectly natural for this plant, which cunningly staggers germination so seeds have a sporting chance of emerging into favourable conditions.

But this treasure is worth patience. So do not discard the punnet.

SEED COUNT: 10 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count and give a generous serve).

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