Pineapple lily
Eucomis comosa · Asparagaceae
A thick spike of starry flowers topped with a tuft of leaves, like a pineapple, rising from a rosette of broad, strap-shaped leaves that are deep burgundy in some forms.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late July to early September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Accent
A bed built around pineapple lily
The planner designed this bed around pineapple lily when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 7, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 977 that suit those conditions, and says below why pineapple lily stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Cottage pinks × 11, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 8, blue
- 3 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 4 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Yarrow 'Paprika' × 3, red
- 7 Pineapple lily × 2, purple
- 8 Star of Persia × 4, purple
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is seen over silver sage (12 in) in front of it.
- 2 plants in 2 places. An accent is a punctuation mark: the repeat along the bed gives it rhythm.
- Bold leaf against fine. Little bluestem 'The Blues' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late July to early September.
- Part of the bed's peak. With leadwort, false sunflower 'Summer Nights', little bluestem 'The Blues' and others in early August: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 5 kinds, from early August. False sunflower 'Summer Nights' and little bluestem 'The Blues' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where pineapple lily goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: accent. An upright plant used singly, like a punctuation mark, and repeated at intervals to give the bed rhythm.
It looks tropical and is hardier than it looks. The flower spikes last for weeks and are followed by decorative seed pods. In cold zones grow it in a pot and store it dry in winter.
- An exotic accent
- Containers
- Late-summer interest
What to plant with pineapple lily
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daylily 'Stella de Oro': purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for seven weeks; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; medium leaves against its bold ones.
- Canna: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for seven weeks; tall enough (5 ft) to stand behind it.
- African lily: in flower together for three weeks, from late July; medium leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about pineapple lily
Does pineapple lily need sun or shade?
Pineapple lily grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does pineapple lily grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does pineapple lily flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late July to early September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 7 | Mid July to early September |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Mid July to early September |
| Zone 9 | Mid July to early September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should pineapple lily be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pineapple lily plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, repeated along the bed at intervals; a slender one reads better as a clump of three.
In the bed above, the planner used two in two groups.
Is pineapple lily poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like pineapple lily?
Pineapple lily comes from East Cape Prov. to KwaZulu-Natal. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Blazing star 'Kobold': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early July to early August, purple, not white.
- Spotted bee balm: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in narrower, pink, not white.
- Pearly everlasting: the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; a drift, not an accent, fine leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat pineapple lily?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What can I plant to hide pineapple lily's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Peony: 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide, in flower late May to late June.
- Black-eyed Susan 'American Gold Rush': 24 in tall and 3 ft wide, in flower mid July to early October.
- Blue false indigo: 4 ft tall and 4 ft wide, in flower late May to mid June.
What does pineapple lily look like in winter?
Pineapple lily is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
Is pineapple lily good for bees and butterflies?
Pineapple lily is visited by pollinators, bees and specialist bees.
More Eucomis
- Pineapple lily 'Sparkling Burgundy' Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for bees
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Plants for a white garden
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late July to early September; upright spires; white, pink, purple
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; green, burgundy
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Comes from
- East Cape Prov. to KwaZulu-Natal
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, specialist bees
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.