Many Crinums are large plants that don't fit well into smaller gardens, but there are some that are small enough and multiply slowly enough to fit into just about any garden. 'Hannibal's Dwarf' and 'Bayou Traveler' are both small enough as individual plants, but the problem is that they don't remain individual plants and before long they're using far more space in the garden than was allocated to them. Here are two of my Crinum recommendations for smaller gardens.
Crinum 'Spring Joy' has fragrant, shell pink flowers and stiff, spreading, sword-like foliage. While its parentage is recorded as an inbred line of Crinum macowanii, its habit of sequentially opening its long-lasting flowers shows influence from Crinum moorei. It has been reported to be fertile both ways and although I've successfully used its pollen to induce new hybrids, I haven't had any success getting it to set seeds. It has fooled me a few times into thinking that it has set seeds, but the swollen pods are air-filled with no seeds inside. I'll keep trying.
Crinum 'Spring Joy'
Crinum 'Ollene' is another nice compact hybrid, the result of crossing Crinum bulbispermum with 'Seven Sisters'. Its foliage is stiff, upright, and moderately spreading and its flowers are white with contrast provided by bright yellow, pollen bearing anthers and a pink pistil. Because it has an extra dose of Crinum bulbispermum in its ancestry, it's probably very tolerant of cold temperatures. While I haven't read any reports of seed fertility in this hybrid, it is a backcross, which increases the likelihood, so I'll be trying to get seeds from this one too.
Crinum 'Ollene'
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