Pineapple lilies are a welcome addition to the summer garden. They are tropical looking yet easily overwinter in our climate; their manageable size and rich colors make them wonderful companion plants in a mixed bed; and they are easy to grow. In the Fearrington gardens, we have at least two species and several cultivars of this South African bulb, also known as Eucomis (from the Greek eukomus, or "beautiful-haired").
The leaves vary in color from deep burgundy to light green and may have either straight or curly edges and heights ranging from 6 inches to 2 feet. The flower color may be white, green, pink or some combination of the three. All have a tuft of bracts (the "beautiful hair") at the top of the flowering stem that make it resemble a pineapple fruit. Since these bulbs originated in the regions of South Africa with its summer rains, they need to be kept moist during the hot months here.
During this hot June, we watered individual plants and clumps to ensure good flower bud production. The flowers are long-lived, looking beautiful from emergent bud through seed setting stages. They have proven very easy to raise from seed. The bulbs also multiply rapidly to form clumps. The largest one we have is planted in a bed between McIntyre's and The Granary. At last count it had nine flowering stems. The darker colored ones are E. comosa at the gate to the Inn and the single "Sparkling Burgundy" in the Inn Courtyard (next to the Amarcrinum). The White Garden has short, curly-leaved white Eucomis autumnalis scattered about (in spite of autumnalis in their name, they're blooming right now).
Please take a look at these eye-catching lilies when you’re next at Fearrington!