It’s pineapple season here at Sorta Suburbia, and that would be the bloom season of sorta-pineapples, aka pineapple lilies, aka Eucomis in case you were wondering.  Eucomis are an easy to grow South African bulb which I’ve recently discovered are hardier than you’d think.

‘Oakhurst’ is a form of Eucomis comosa which comes up with dark purple foliage and and stems.  This seedling comes up dark but fades a bit in the heat and dry of July, but I suspect its named parent would do the same here. 

The first bulbs which I risked leaving in the ground year round were a bunch of ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ seedlings which just came out of nowhere one year.  Actually I sowed the seed two years before so it was entirely my fault they were here and I had more than I needed, but from my experiences they sprout easily from seed.  Mine were sprinkled into a pot one January, covered with a thin layer of grit and thrown out onto the sidewalk next to the garage to sit until the freezing weather until spring when they sprouted.  Simple enough, right?  I’m sure you have your own methods but sometimes I feel people are too impressed when I say something was grown from seed, so let me just say don’t be.  Plants do it all the time, and I find the biggest struggle is getting the gardener to actually get them in the dirt.

Seedlings of Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ planted in too much shade near the house foundation.  They would likely be darker and less-floppy in more sun.

Once you have the plants going there’s not much else to do.  Mine are in full sun to part shade, decent soil, ok drainage… they’re not difficult.  Since this is not always a well-cared for garden I can say with authority they don’t particularly like really poor soil or a real hot and dry location, but a little attention to watering and feeding in your own garden would fix that.

Eucomis bicolor after its first winter in the ground.  The speckling on this plant is a nice touch.

The first experimental plantings of the E. comosa seedlings is now pushing probably eight years with no fussing on my part and not a single plant has been lost.  Our winters can dip below zero (-18C) as a winter low and the ground freezes deeper than the bulbs are, so I’d say they’re pretty hardy.  Silly me to not think that any of their pineapple lily cousins would also be hardy, but it took a friend showing a photo of his plantings online for me to get that message.  I left my E. bicolor bulbs out last winter and they were also fine.  Our winter was extremely mild so I can’t personally say these are also exceptionally hardy, but word is they can be.

The flower details on the blooms of Eucomis bicolor are always cool.  Maybe a few more seedlings and a bigger patch of this could be justified.       

I’ve also been told there’s a really good chance my dearest pet of a Eucomis could also be perfectly hardy.  ‘Freckles’ is smaller growing hybrid of E. vandermerwei that has been enjoying the potted life here for at least ten years.  Pot goes out in the spring, pot goes into the garage in the fall, and sits in the dry dark for six months until the process repeats.  It’s a no-brain process, but some would suggest I have too many plants in pots, so perhaps this will also break free of the potted life either this summer or next spring.

Eucomis ‘Freckles’ is a lower growing plant which shows the cool purple mottling of the species E. vandermerwei.  It’s a late summer bloomer and is just starting to send up its little ‘pineapples’. 

Two weeks ago the gardener here was looking for empty terra cotta pots and there was nothing to be found, so he decided he was bored with his last Eucomis, E. autumnalis, so he tossed it onto the compost pile.  So much for that.  After all these new thoughts on hardiness he has gone through the compost, found the roots, and given it a spot in one of the beds.  Autumnalis looks a little worse for wear for its ‘adventure’ but in this garden that barely stands out.

Eucomis ‘Freckles’ from a prior year.  Quite an adorable little thing in or out of bloom.  

So that’s it for my pineapple lily sales pitch.  One disclaimer is that the bloom stalks often flop after a couple weeks, but you’ll have to see for yourself if that bothers you or is worth staking for… and you can guess what my opinion on that is… and the final fun fact is that Eucomis can be somewhat easily propagated via leaf cuttings.  If you’ve never done it give leaf cuttings a try, to me it’s one of those odd things which shouldn’t work but it does.  Chop a leaf into two inch sections, stick them right side up into some potting soil and wait.  Small roots and eventually bulbs will form and there you go.  Snake plants (Sansevieria) will also work this way, so if you’re out of pineapple lilies try a snakeplant for now.

All the best for an excellent weekend.  We are weathering the downpours of tropical storm Debby today which will be followed by cooler, dryer weather and I’m not sure how I feel about the cooler part.  Low 80’s is entirely seasonal but after a stretch of 90’s it sounds almost chilly and makes me think of what lies in store.  Hopefully a few days of sunshine which doesn’t make you melt can make up for that.  Enjoy!