NB: A note for WordPress Reader users – you need to click on the title of the post again to come out of the reader and go to the post itself. This allows you to see the whole of the top photograph. (Otherwise you may see just a tiny section!)
The flowers here look like lilies, and their common name is ‘swamp lily’, but they are not part of the Lilium family. They are Crinums – a different genus. This one looks as if it is probably Crinum x powellii (Powell’s swamp lily). It’s a beauty that I have often admired during visits to Fullers Mill Garden and this year I photographed it several times there, from early July ’til mid-September.
I can’t help feeling that this lovely flower deserves a more glamourous name than swamp lily, even if it is a fair description of where it may be found in its native habitat. (Though, from what I’ve read, it seems to be happy in soil that is just reasonably moist rather than soggy, and can tolerate some drought.)
The clumps of crinum that I saw at Fullers Mill were big – a few foot across – and about 4ft or more tall, so they’re too big for me to fit in to my modestly sized garden. In any case, I reckon my soil is not quite good enough for them because they prefer a soil that is rich, deep, and moist. (Maybe someday, when I’ve added enough compost and the humus has built up…)
These imposing flowers are large, but at the same time are elegant. They’re not a common sight here, in fact, I can only remember seeing them in a few gardens. Perhaps they’re more common in areas of the UK with a higher rainfall than Suffolk. That scarcity makes coming across a crinum all the more special and I’m very glad that they’re one of the pleasures of spending time in a favourite garden. Perhaps they will still have some flowers on my next visit.
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Those little black crescents at the center of the flower draw attention, contrasting as they do with the otherwise all pink flower.
In looking up Crinum, I learned that some sources place it in the lily family, Liliaceae, while others place it in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. I also found there’s a small town called Crinum in Queensland, Australia.
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They certainly look a lot like amaryllis, although the plant would look a bit different (I’ve read) because the amaryllis starts to flower before the leaves appear. The crinum here had big clumps of tall, strap-like leaves. Those little dark crescents provide a useful focal point!
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For a layman this is another lily! Thank you , Ann, for the clarification.
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The do look very like lilies and I’m sure I’d have thought they were if it wasn’t for the internet! I’ve learned a lot through Google image searches and sites like the RHS and others. 🙂
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Our native crinums (Crinum americanum) also are tall, with those strap-like leaves. The name ‘swamp lily’ suits them perfectly, since that’s exactly where they’re found. I love them; it’s easy to see the relationship between them and the one you’ve shown here. I usually see them at Armand Bayou at the edge of the ponds or sloughs, but they occasionally will pop up in wet ditches along the coast!
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Crinum americanum is spectacular! Your photograph is beautiful, especially with with all those droplets. It must be amazing to see such beauties growing in the wild – nature is the best gardener!
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ps: I linked to the post rather than a photo so you could see a couple of views of the flowers.
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It’s interesting to see what the flowers look like when they start to droop and become the ghosts of their former selves. 🙂
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💖🩷💖🩷💖🩷🤗 beauty!
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
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