The crown of fame originally came from Asia and Africa. But it can also be made to bloom in our latitudes. The crown of fame, also called magnificent lily, flame lily or tiger claw, lives up to its four common names in German-speaking countries with its graceful flowers. These have a diameter of 8 to just over 10 cm and consist of six narrow, lanceolate leaves with ruffled edges. The flowers are reminiscent of blazing flames due to their crimson to violet coloring with yellow edges and throats. Often the tips of the petals are curved inwards or outwards, so that the shape of the flower resembles a corolla.
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attitude in the pot
Crown of Glory is a very attractive climbing lily that can be grown in tubs or pots as a houseplant. In the summer months, the garden, balcony or terrace is a suitable location for the exotic ornamental plant.
The almond-shaped leaves of the crown of glory are green and shiny. Their length is about 15 cm. At their tips, the leaves have extensions that serve as attachment organs for the plant when climbing. With its shoots up to 3 m long, the crown of fame is often grown on a trellis. As early as June, the exotic plant can embellish gardens and terraces with its flowers. It then blooms into August. Young flowers are initially green before they turn into their typical strong and bright colors.
location
Crowns of Glory need a lot of light. However, they do not like to stand in the blazing sun for long periods of time, as this can lead to “sunburns”. On the other hand, if the plant gets too little light, its buds will turn brown. In such a case, you should change the location. The crown of fame also cannot tolerate temperature fluctuations and fluctuations in humidity very well. Unfavorable site conditions are reflected in the fact that the young leaves and buds of the crown of glory get brown spots. A crown of glory feels most comfortable in a temperature range between 18 and 22 °C. Even at night, the temperature should not fall below 17 °C.
From mid-May it is possible to put the plant on the balcony, on the terrace or in the garden in a bright spot. She can then spend the summer there in a wind-protected and warm place. Then the crown of fame has the best conditions to bloom lavishly. In addition, it forms meter-long shoots that can climb up a trellis, sticks, scaffolding or a wall. The shoots can also be tied to trellises or sticks.
rearing
The ideal mixture of potting soil for a crown of glory is potting soil or compost soil with peat or leaf soil and sand. Such potting soil is rich in humus, nutritious and permeable to water.
The plant is grown from tubers that are commercially available. The tubers are usually oblong in shape and should be planted horizontally below the surface of the soil. The buds are always at one of the two root ends. If the root is placed across the ground, it cannot happen that the bud end accidentally comes down. If you can see the bud at one end of the elongated root of the Crown of Glory, you can place this slightly higher than the other. After that, you should cover the root with soil so that it lies flat (about 3 cm) below the soil surface. It is important to be careful not to damage the sensitive bud. It should be as close to the earth’s surface as possible. Only when the root begins to take up its activity,
It takes quite a long time before a first shoot shows up. But from then on it goes incredibly fast and the crown of glory grows 10 cm or more every day.
repot
The best time to repot a crown of glory is early spring. The best months are February and March, at the end of the winter rest period. In the new planter, the tubers should be potted 3 to 5 cm deep.
maintenance
Since the crown of glory is not hardy in our latitudes, its roots hibernate until spring. After that, the plant begins to sprout again. During the winter, the Gloriosa can stand in a dark room or in the basement and does not require any care. The maintenance period does not begin until early spring, when the crown of glory is brought back into the room. Now you can start watering the root and giving it some fertilizer. If the plant is in a warm and bright place around 20 °C, it will not take long for it to bud. In a month and a half to two months it will be in all its glory.
When it gets warmer outside and severe cold snaps are no longer to be expected, the crown of fame can always be outdoors. A sunny, wind-protected and warm place on a wall or a trellis is best suited for the climbing lily. After flowering, the above-ground parts of the crown of glory begin to wither and die in the fall. This is not a sign of poor care, but a natural process. From this point on, you no longer need to water the plant.
You can remove wilted leaves yourself or wait until they dry up and fall off. The root bulbs no longer need moisture. “Above ground” remains of the plant can be cut off. The growth cycle of the plant does not start again until early spring next year. Before that, you can divide or implement the root if necessary. Good care is required to ensure that the crown of glory forms new flowers again from early summer. The root should be watered regularly so that it is constantly moist. However, you should save a little with the water, because if it is too wet, the roots will rot. However, as the Crown of Glory grows, it requires more and more water. Therefore, as the plant grows, the watering must also increase.
watering and fertilizing
From the beginning of the growth period, the crown of glory must be watered regularly. Care should be taken to ensure that the roots are moist but not wet, as the plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Usually watered twice a week. In addition, it is not only important that the plant receives moisture from below, but it also enjoys an environment with high humidity. The soil should not dry out between waterings.
From May to September, or during the entire growth phase, the Crown of Fame can be liquidly fertilized weekly. If the crown of glory’s upper leaves change color, it is suffering from a nitrogen deficiency. On the other hand, a fertilizer that contains nitrogen (N) helps. With every second watering, you can add some weakly concentrated liquid fertilizer to the water.
hibernate
Since the Crown of Glory is not hardy in Central Europe, it sheds all its leaves from September to prepare for winter dormancy. After the growth phase in spring and the flowering period in summer, the tuber’s strength is exhausted and the climbing tendrils dry up. In the end, only the root tuber remains. It can be left in the pot and then overwinters in the hallway, basement, garage or other suitable place. During this time, the tuber needs neither water nor light. Of course, it doesn’t have to be fertilized either. The outside temperature can be between 15 and 18 °C. If you don’t want to leave the tubers in the pot, you can also take them out of the pot and let them overwinter in a peat box. In the past, the roots will sprout again.
multiply
The roots of the Crown of Glory are renewed each year. They often branch out from the base of the stem in such a way that they can be separated at the branch. The roots should not be divided into pieces that are too small, because the larger the root, the more beautiful the flowers will be. At the beginning of spring, the root pieces are placed individually in separate planters. You have to be very careful with the tubers, because their sensitive shoots can easily be damaged. In order to get the roots to sprout, a constantly high temperature is required, which should be around 20 °C.
The crown of glory can be multiplied not only by dividing the root, but also with seeds. However, a heatable small greenhouse is required to grow the seeds of the tropical plant. A mixture of peat, sand and compost is used as the growing substrate. The small plants must be handled very carefully. Without moderate watering, they quickly begin to rot or fall over.
Even under good environmental conditions, growing the seeds of the Crown of Glory takes a long time. A Gloriosa grown from seed will not flower for two to four years after germination. If only a few flowers form, then the location is usually too dark.
diseases and pests
Sometimes it happens that the crown of glory is attacked by aphids. Therefore, the plant should be checked regularly for aphid infestation. Aphids often appearon the Crown of Glory if it’s too cold or standing in a train for a long time, because then it loses its resistance powers. If there are only a few aphids, they can simply be rinsed off the plant with the shower. However, the earth must not be washed out of the pot. You can prevent this by putting the pot in a plastic bag and tying it around the bottom of the plant stem. The reason the plant should be checked frequently for aphid infestations is that aphids reproduce very quickly. Freshly settled aphids reproduce after just two weeks. 100 new aphids can be born per female. Very heavy aphid infestation can be combated with an aphid spray.
A crown of glory infested with aphids can be damaged by salivary toxins. These toxins cause the leaves to curl up and get unsightly spots. New flowers do not develop as well and grow stunted. Since aphids often molt, the white waste products indicate an aphid infestation on the plant. Aphids also excrete honeydew. This creates a sticky, sweet coating on the plant, on which sooty mold fungi quickly form. After that, the leaves turn black.
Conclusion
Crown of Fame is an attractive tropical plant with magnificent flowers. The graceful climbing lily is a beautiful sight on trellises and walls. It is therefore worth growing the plant from a tuber and letting it sprout again after the winter rest period.
