Cardiocrinum giganteum (giant Himalayan lily)

Cardiocrinum spp.

giant lily

Liliaceae Himalaya, China, Japan, and Myanmar

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

HardinessZones 6–9

Overview

Cardiocrinum spp. is a small genus of three bulbous perennials in the lily family (Liliaceae), known as giant lilies and grown for their towering flower stems. The largest, Cardiocrinum giganteum, reaches 5-13 feet (1.5-4 m) in bloom, while C. cordatum and C. cathayanum are shorter. Each plant builds a rosette of large, glossy, heart-shaped basal leaves over several years before sending up a single stout stem. The stem carries 10 to 20 nodding white trumpet flowers 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long, streaked reddish-purple inside and strongly fragrant, especially at night. The bulb is monocarpic: after flowering it dies, leaving a ring of small offset bulbs that take a further three to five years to reach flowering size. Bloom comes in midsummer, followed by upright woody seed capsules. The genus grows in cool, moist, humus-rich woodland soil in shade and needs steady moisture through the growing season. Because each bulb flowers only once and then dies, a planting depends on a succession of offsets or seedlings to keep flowers coming year to year, and the multi-year wait before each bloom is a limitation.

Native Range

The genus is native to the Himalaya and the mountains of China, Japan, and Myanmar, where the plants grow in cool, moist mountain woodland. Cardiocrinum giganteum ranges through the Himalaya into western China, while C. cordatum occurs in Japan and C. cathayanum in eastern China.

Suggested Uses

Giant lilies are grown in shaded woodland gardens, along the edges of tree canopies, and in moist, sheltered borders where the tall stems have a backdrop. The strong evening scent suits planting near paths and seating used after dark. They combine with ferns, hostas, and other shade plants that hide the fading basal leaves.

How to Identify

The large, glossy, heart-shaped basal leaves on long stalks set the genus apart from true lilies, which carry narrow stem leaves. In bloom, look for a single tall stem topped by a row of long white trumpet flowers marked with reddish-purple streaks inside. After flowering, stout upright seed capsules stand on the dead stem above a cluster of new offset bulbs at ground level.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height5' - 13'

Width/Spread1'6" - 3'

Reaches mature size in approximately 6 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Summer

Flowering comes in midsummer, generally June to August, once a bulb has built up reserves over five to seven years. The trumpet flowers open over two to three weeks and release a strong scent that carries on still evenings. Each bulb blooms a single time, after which it dies and leaves offsets to flower in later years.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

white with reddish-purple throat

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-5 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam peat

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

5-7 years to flowering, then the bulb dies

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Plants grow in cool, moist, humus-rich woodland soil in partial to full shade, with a slightly acid to neutral pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Steady moisture through spring and summer matters, as the large leaves wilt in dry shade. Bulbs are set with the nose just at the surface, since they sit shallow, and a yearly mulch of leaf mold feeds them. The genus is hardy in cool-temperate gardens but resents heat and drought. After a bulb flowers and dies, the offsets around it are lifted and replanted to space them out and renew the cycle. Slugs and snails graze the emerging leaves in spring.

Pruning

No pruning is needed beyond cutting down the dead flowering stem after the seed capsules are ripe or removed. The spent stem can be left standing into autumn while the woody pods dry, then cut at the base. Yellowing basal leaves are tidied as they die back.