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Where
the garden meets the wild
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LYCORIS SURPRISE LILY Amaryllidaceae (Belladonna family) / Alliaceae (Onion family) |
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| Return to Plants Index Bulbs Index | ||
| They're
called surprise lilies because they send up flower stalks in late summer ~
plink! ~ with no leaves as advance warning. Their blue-green strap leaves emerge in
spring, then die down. These beautiful bulbs from E Asia are fussy but
hard to kill. In E North America and many other temperate places, they are
cherished in gardens. In the Pacific Northwest there is an urban
legend that Lycoris will not return after planting. We can only say
that our plants do return and even multiply.
Here is the secret. Lycoris should be planted in August-early September. Otherwise their internal clocks get confused. Some years ago we planted bulbs of a range of species in October. We saw no sign of life for several years. Eventually, however, they all emerged and now they all flower faithfully. |
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Photograph © G.M. Pradhan |
Lycoris aurea (L'Hérit.) Herbert Golden hurricane lily, Golden
spider lily. 忽地笑
Hu di xiao
(Chinese).
"Suddenly the earth
smiles," the Chinese say. Umbels of bright yellow recurved trumpets bloom in late
summer on 60-cm (24") scapes. The glaucous, fleshy leaves are about the
same height and rise when the flower is gone, in autumn. Native from Japan
across China to Burma and Vietnam. Prefers slightly acid soil. Outdoors, plant deeply in part shade and mulch well. Easy to grow indoors in
a pot; fertilize when in growth and stop watering after the leaves die down,
resuming when the flowering stem appears. Store the dormant bulb in a cool
place. Zone 7. Bulb (Fall shipping only). $11.00 |
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Photograph © Paige Woodward |
Lycoris sanguinea Maxim var. sanguinea.
Rust-red surprise lily. Spidery,
dark to fiery orange flowers rise in July-August on 50 cm (20") scapes.
This
plant grows wild in damp sites, including open woods, from central to S
Japan at low elevations. Our bulbs were propagated
in Japan. This is a great plant for deciduous woodland gardens. The strap
leaves need sun in spring to feed the bulb. By the time the tree canopy
closes overhead, the the strap leaves are fading and the bulb can doze till
autumn.
Bulb (Fall shipping only). $6.00 |
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| This page was revised March 21, 2008. | ||