Crinum menehune Wine Time

Crinum 'Menehune Wine Time' (Crinum 'Menehune Wine Time') is a dwarf crinum grown for its leaves rather than its flowers. Broad strappy foliage in deep wine burgundy holds at roughly 800mm each way, a permanent block of dark colour in a bed that would otherwise be all green. Pink and white trumpets follow on short stems through the warm months.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that does not depend on flowering. The burgundy foliage is there year round, so the planting reads the same in July as in January.
• Dwarf and predictable. It settles at about 800mm each way and clumps slowly from a bulb, so it will not run through a bed.
• Wet feet are not a problem. It copes with heavy soil and damp ground, where most burgundy foliage plants rot at the base.
• Genuinely low maintenance. No pruning, no staking, no shaping. Pull off the tired outer leaves twice a year and the job is done.

Where it works best

Mass planting and borders. Plant 600mm apart, which lets the clumps meet into a continuous ribbon of burgundy without crowding. Along a path edge it holds a clean line at knee height.

Poolside and pots. Salt tolerant, heat tolerant and happy with splash, with broad leaves that do not shed fine litter into water. One clump in a 400mm pot works as an accent against a pale wall.

Growing Crinum 'Menehune Wine Time' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the darkest leaf colour. In part shade the foliage lightens towards bronze green, still healthy but less dramatic. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and handles light frost only, so cool southern gardeners should use a movable pot.

Soil. Adaptable, and more forgiving of heavy or damp ground than most bulbs. Enrich the bed with compost and set the bulb so its neck sits at soil level rather than buried. Mulch around it, not over it.

Water and feed. Water regularly through the first summer, then moderately once the clump is established. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer keeps the colour strong. Too much nitrogen gives soft green growth instead of burgundy.

Maintenance. There is no pruning as such. Remove spent flower stems at the base and strip older leaves as they tire. Clumps divide every four or five years, though they flower better left alone.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock. Each plant is a young bulb with a few leaves, smaller than the mature clump you are buying it for, and it takes a season or two to reach its full 800mm. Tube stock is what makes a mass planting affordable, so work out the whole bed at 600mm centres and order it in one go.

Bulbs are excellent travellers. Leaves may arrive creased, which is cosmetic, and the growth that follows comes up clean. One honest caution: crinum bulbs are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, so use raised beds or pots if you have a dog that digs. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse plants suited to mass planting
• How to choose edging plants for a garden bed
• Compare the poolside plant range
• Planting into soil that stays wet

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for mass planting?

Space plants 600mm apart. The clumps meet within two seasons and read as one continuous band, and each bulb still has room to widen.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Like other crinums, the bulb contains alkaloids that are toxic to cats and dogs if eaten. The risk is mainly to dogs that dig, so use pots or raised beds if that describes yours.

Will the leaves stay burgundy?

In full sun, yes, all year. In shade or after a heavy nitrogen feed the colour drifts towards bronze green, so give it an open position and keep the fertiliser balanced.