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Pineapple Lily

Summer and Fall-Flowering Bulb, Annual Flower

Eucomis bicolor
Liliaceae Family

Exotic and unusual, Pineapple Lily produces a basal rosette of strap-like leaves, and later a thick, erect flower stem covered with small star-like blooms and topped with a rosette of leaves. A tender, nonhardy plant. Dig and store bulbs overwinter.

	Site and Plant Characteristics
	Growing Information
	Varieties

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:

full sun

Soil conditions:

requires well-drained soil

Prefers rich, well-drained soil.

Special locations:

outdoor containers

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: annual

Tropical perennial (hardy to Zone 8) grown as an annual.

Ease-of-care: moderately difficult

Height: 1 to 2 feet

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

Bloom time:

late summer
early fall

Flower color:

green
violet
white

Blooms are pale green with purple edges.

Foliage color:

light green
medium green

Foliage texture: medium

Shape: herbaceous: other

Leaves form a basal rosette.

Shape in flower: flower stalks with upright spikes

Blooms borne along a thick, erect stem.

Special Considerations

Special characteristics:

non-aggressive
non-invasive
not native to North America - Native to South Africa

Growing Information

How to plant:

Propagate by seed, cuttings - Cut offsets from parent plant in the spring. Sow seeds in fall or spring.

Maintenance and care:

Start bulbs indoors in potting mix with sand added for drainage. Place in a warm, well-lit location, and keep moist but not soggy.
After frost danger has passed, place the plants outdoors in beds or pots. After blooming has finished, before frost danger begins, dig the plants and overwinter them in a cool, well-ventilated location.
More growing information: How to Grow Annuals

More growing information: How to Grow Bulbs

Varieties

'Alba': green-white blooms.