Pancratium maritimum - Sand Lily

Pancratium maritimum, beautifully called Sea Lily, is a tender bulb found on Mediterranean sandy coasts. This species, protected in its natural habitat, is very rare in cultivation and offers a dazzling and fragrant flowering that blooms for two months, from July to September. Its magnificent flowers, resembling large white daffodils, are grouped in loose umbels. They are carried by a sturdy stem, emerging from a tuft of ribbon-like foliage similar to that of amaryllis. Delightfully fragrant and sculptural, these flowers last a long time in a vase and make spectacular and refined, elegant bouquets. Plant it near the house, in a large pot or in the ground in coastal regions spared from frost.

Pancratium maritimum, commonly called Sea Lily, or Sea Daffodil in English, belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family, just like snowdrops, nerines and Lycoris. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that naturally grows in sunny sandy coastal regions of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is not very hardy and likes a mild climate where frost is rare and brief, it adapts well to pot culture.

When in bloom, the Sea Lily reaches a height of 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24in) with a spread of 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in). Its growing season extends from spring to autumn, and its dormant period corresponds to winter. The basal foliage forms a spreading clump of broad, glaucous green, ribbon-like leaves. For two months from late spring to late summer, depending on the climate, cylindrical flower stalks emerge from the foliage. Each stalk bears an umbel of approximately 6 sweetly fragrant flowers, reaching 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in) in diameter, white with a green wash at the centre at its tip. Each flower consists of a large trumpet-shaped staminal crown, whose edge is divided into 12 triangular teeth. Around this crown, 6 lanceolate tepals are arranged. Depending on the climate, soil, etc., the foliage may dry up and disappear in summer, only to reappear in autumn.

The Sea Lily is an exotic, sculptural and pleasantly fragrant plant that is well suited for decorating terraces or the surroundings of the house. It will thrive in full sun, in well-drained sandy soil, conditions that are easy to provide in a pot, stored away in winter. Be sure to give it a sufficiently large pot: excessive substrate temperature can have a detrimental effect on flower formation. In regions with mild winters, plant it in a sunny rock garden. This superb seaside plant is naturally resistant to sea spray and summer drought: grow it with plants that have the same requirements, such as Agapanthus, Sedum spectabile or Lithodora.