Cardiocrinums are often known as Giant Lilies, for they resemble - closely - the flowers and habit of their parent family - Liliaceae. Like the Lilies, they are summer flowering.
Cardiocrinums have the typical trumpet flower of the lily, but with different foliage - being heart shaped and sometimes attractively veined.
As well as having the gorgeous lily-like flowers of the trumpet lilies, the Cardiocrinum has spectacular seed heads which persist well into the winter, and are are sought after by all manner of garden birds.
A frosted seedhead - or better still, a snow-clad Cardiocrinum seed head is a welcome addition to the autumn and winter collection of useful 'dead' plants! No worries, for below the soil, the bulb of the Cardiocrinum lives on, ready to sprout forth next spring season.