Pancratium

[Erika]

Hello, I just received a bulb of Pancratium sickenbergeri. This is my first bulb in this Genus. How deep should they be planted, and what pot size would be appropriate? Thank you. I hope I’m posting in the correct section. Erika

[Maggi Young]

I think this needs  quite a dry   home -  very well-drained  mixture in a pot for sure.
 Hans A. says while it flowers for him in Majorca, it doesn't make the curly leaves .....
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=2470.msg166902#msg166902

[Hannelore]

Hello Erika,

Hello, I just received a bulb of Pancratium sickenbergeri. This is my first bulb in this Genus. How deep should they be planted, and what pot size would be appropriate? Thank you. I hope I’m posting in the correct section. Erika

I have Pancratium maritinum from seeds which I brought 2014 from the botanic garden on Gran Canaria. It grows in a pot simulating its situation on the beach: The pot is ca. 30 cm height, at the bottom 10 cm soil and the rest "sharp sand" (screed sand). In summer the pot stands in open air in a very sunny place, in winter (rather dry) in the cold glasshouse (temperature down to 5°C). The leaves stand upright 15-20cm over the sand. I hope to get flowers this year. In any case I'll open the pot in May-June (after 3 years) and look how the bulbs have develloped.

Greetings
Hannelore

[Erika]

Thank you Hannelore. How deep should the bulb be planted? Erika

[Hannelore]

When I planted mine, there were hardly bulbs because the seedlings were less than a year old. If I'll find bulbs I'll plant them ca. 1/3 into the soil, 2/3 into the sand. It's just imitating how they probably grow in their natural habitat. It is surely strange never to see what happens under 20 cm sand, but as the leaves of my plants stand always right up and when vanishing new leaves come in a short time I presume that they're o.k.

Greeting
Hannelore

[Hannelore]

Here's a picture how they look like yesterday. The longest leave has more than 20 cm ~ 8"

[Gail]

Pancratium illyricum flowering, nicely fragrant

[Maggi Young]

Isn't  it  odd how some  flowers  LOOK fragrant?  ( or  is that just  me?!!)

[Gail]

No, definitely not just you. I've brought the pot in and it is sitting on my desk so I get to enjoy the scent for longer - quite a delicate scent but sweet.

[Karaba]

Gail, definitely one of my prefered flower.

It's strange that your P. illyricum has no leave while flowering. Maybe is it because it has been freshly planted ?
P. illyricum is quite hardy, at least Z7. Mine has survived winter with -18°C during the night. You can plant it quite deeply until the beak is at the surface.
With some more year, I hope you will have plant with several stalks (4 each year) like those in picture with more than 20 fowers ! 

[Gail]

Thanks Karaba, yes it was a new acquisition in  November last year. I do hope I manage to get it to develop like yours which is very impressive!

[luca]

My Pancratium sickenbergeri
Zephyranthes Drummondii

[Gail]

Very pretty flower Luca, but I think that is a Zephyranthes not Pancratium sickenbergeri which should look like;

http://www.wildflowers.co.il/english/plant.asp?ID=1011

[luca]

Yes i had some doubt, too... the flower is so different...

But sent to me as Pancratium, and the leaves are different from Zephyrantes...

[Rob-Rah]

As this is a Pancratium thread, I thought I'd share the first flowering my Pancratium maritimum here at the moment

(Soil is around 4/5 silver sand, 1/5 grittier sand, 1/5 John Innes no.3 - no particular watering regime, though it is dryish in summer just as the pot dries out quicker I think - kept under glass and watered every 2-3 weeks)