One of the pleasures this time of year is that a favorite bulb is about to grace our landscape – the
red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) also known as
hurricane lily,
surprise lily and
naked ladies. These summer dormant bulbs begin to awaken with August and September rainfall. Then out of nowhere, you’ll be surprised in September and October by 15-20 inch flowers bursting from the ground with coral red flowers atop a leafless stem. Flower clusters have a delicate, spidery appearance with long stamens and trumpet-shaped flowers. All this occurs in the absence of foliage. If rains are absent, water weekly to assure uniform flowering.
This southern heirloom bulb easily adapts to most growing conditions and produces dark green strap-like leaves (looks like Liriope border grass) during fall and winter before going semi-dormant in May and June. They rebloom annually and multiply easily. Lycoris is dependable and hardy in landscapes and containers.
Plant bulbs in full sun to partial shade, like under a tree that drops its leaves during winter. Bulbs can be planted year round, but hot summer is the preferred time. Now is the time to plant. The only problem is that garden retailers only stock these bulbs in springtime. If you want to plant you will need to look online. As with many bulbs, newly planted Lycoris often skip a flowering cycle as they establish in the landscape. You may get few to no blooms the first year but will be generously reward with stately flowers gracing your landscape every year thereafter.
The red flowered Lycoris is the most familiar color form but yellow and white are also available. They multiply slower so they command a higher price. My favorite is the golden yellow Lycoris aureus. It has much larger foliage than the red spider lily and though it has fewer individual florets, each is much larger than its red relative.
Bulbs like to be grown in a well drained soil and one with organic matter that has been incorporated. Mulch to protect the exposed neck of the bulbs. Fertilize and dig and divide on a regular basis if you want to grow big bulbs. Usually, what are available for purchase are small 1-inch bulbs but when cared for in the home landscape, individual bulbs can grow to 3-inches large.
