Spider Lilies

A few years ago, my next-door neighbors gave me some bulbs to these spider lilies that are native to the southeastern US. I planted the bulbs and forgot about the plants. Nothing appeared in the following year, and I thought them dead. In the second year after planting, I noticed some leaves that I thought might be from the bulbs, but the plants never flowered. And then this year literally out of nowhere and in the span of three weeks there emerged leaves, stems, and finally these beautiful, delicate china red flowers. Aren’t they sweet?

Long a mainstay in Southern gardens, spider lilies go by several common names—"British soldiers," "Guernsey lilies," and "surprise lilies"—and also their botanical name, Lycoris radiata.

Regrettably, the flowers are starting to wilt after only a few days, so I am happy to have captured them when I did.

Best wishes,

Bob