Hymenocallis littoralis

Hymenocallis littoralis, usually called the Beach Spider Lily, is an astonishingly beautiful bulbous perennial with long strap-like leaves and gorgeous white flowers which have long narrow reflexed spider-like tepals attached behind the central transparent staminal cup. It is prolific flowering and will bear multiple stems in the summer and its exotic beauty is enhanced by its sweet yet soft fragrance.

It it endemic to Central America including Mexico, Guatemala and Columbia where it is often found along the coast and waterways, its roots enjoying the combination of abundant water and a well-drained sandy soil. The species was first described in 1763 as Pancratium littorale by the Dutch botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in his book Selectarum Stirpium Americanarum Historia where he found it thriving on the beaches of the island of Tierra Bomba, off the Caribbean coast of Cartagena, Colombia. It was renamed Hymenocallis in 1812 by the controversial Richard Salisbury, one of the few generic names Salisbury proposed that hasn't since been overturned.

Hymenocallis littoralis is a stunning plant that has the capacity to stop you in your tracks. It loves to be well-watered throughout the growing season and does best in a humus-rich soil to which has been added generous quantities of sharp sand or grit. Regular weekly feeding from spring through to summer is recommended. You will need to be on slug and snail patrol as the pesky molluscs seem very partial to munching on the foliage. It is technically an evergreen plant but in the UK where it is tender it soon loses its foliage as the days get shorter and colder. It should be lifted in the autumn and stored overwinter to plant out again in March. If grown in containers, it can be left in situ and the whole pot brought into a cool - or preferably, warm - glasshouse for the winter, replenishing part of the soil and repotting at least once every two years.

Highly recommended. Limited quantities available.