Saturday, May 21, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 105: Crinum Lilies

In this episode, we talk with Jenks Farmer, owner of Jenks Farmer, Plantsman and author of Crinum: Unearthing the History and Cultivation of the World's Largest Bulb*, all about Crinum Lilies. The plant profile is on the Carolina Allspice and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.


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Show Notes: 1:20 Meet Augustus Jenkins Farmer III (Jenks Farmer), owner of Jenks Farmer Plantsman! 3:50 Jenks talks about life in his childhood home with wood heat 5:00 “I was ready to see the big, bold world.” — Jenks 5:45 From Zambia to Seattle then back to South Carolina! 8:00 Rain and heat in South Carolina similar to DC for gardening conditions 10:50 There are hardy crinum lilies for USDA Zones 6 and 7 11:45 Pittsburgh zoo’s gorilla exhibit has crinums! 12:25 Orange River Lily (Crinum bulbispermum) is the most cold weather hardy variety 13:57 “Imagine Christmas amaryllis on steroids.” — Jenks 14:28 These lilies have more of a fountain-like flower formation 17:10 Jenks talks about selling the lilies as cut flowers called “Chicken Feet Flowers” 18:00 Cut the entire plant down to the ground, throw away the top foliage, and it will come right back! 18:40 The farm became fully organic 10-12 years ago 19:42 The lilies can have bulbs underground that are as big as volleyballs! 20:25 Field peas, sun hemp, cornflower/bachelor’s buttons, and assorted veggies are cover crops for the lilies 21:39 Nematode issues in South Carolina 23:12 “World’s Largest Bulb” controversy 25:39 400 pound clumps once the bulbs are rooted! 25:24 Aquatic crinums are one of the most popular aquarium plants 26:50 Great plants for flooding, which allows them to be used in parks in Savannah and Charleston 29:35 Crinums are “nocturnally fragrant” 30:00 Moths are attracted to the flowers since they can detect the fragrance at a high level 31:41 Nitrogen is essential for egg production which could be enticing to moths 32:42 Lots of medicinal uses for crinums 33:13 People with pets should be aware of crinums, but not too concerned 34:32 Leaf rust is a bigger concern for Jenks’ farm than pests 35:10 Jenks’ new book (https://amzn.to/3RhjZsK)* talks all about his absolute favorite crinums 37:04 Crinums are easy to grow from seeds 37:52 One of the problems with crinum breeding is how long it takes to grow 39:04 Coloration of the bulb indicates the color of the bloom 42:11 Crinum history revolves around maritime and slave trade 43:13 By 1900, crinums fell out of favor and only recently regained it 45:53 Crinums are known to be pass-along plants 47:18 Lots of crinums imported from India 47:57 Crinums have a very long lifespan. Jenks has one that’s over 70 years old! 49:16 Jenks recommends growing plants that love your climate 50:00 Find Jenks on social media and his website! 51:22 Learn all about Carolina Allspice bush in this week’s Plant Profile 53:18 New this week in the garden: heat wave in DC, flowers are blooming, Japanese snowbell tree, May issue is out now, and more! 54:30 Local gardening events: online talk for Brookside Gardens by Kathy Jentz, Homestead Gardens hosting chat and book signing with Hilton Carter, and Plant Sale Fundraiser If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ Gardening with Bulbs https://washingtongardener.blogspot.c... ~ Daylilies -- the Perfect Perennial? https://washingtongardener.blogspot.c...

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

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We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode. And be sure to like/follow/subscribe/share this video and this channel, so that other gardeners can find us too! Episode Credits: Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz Show Note: Tori Vandergriff *This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. If you order after clicking these links, we may receive a few pennies, but it will not impact the price you pay at the Amazon site.

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