October 2, 2007

Surprise!!!


With September comes football, tailgating and some really cool plants. As I was walking around my landscape last week there was one of my favorite bulbs in flower, the Lycoris radiata also known as surprise lilies or hurricane lilies. These bulbs grow best in U.S. hardiness zones 6-10 and send up 18-inch flower spikes with red spider-like flowers prior to the foliage. Following the flowers, the 6-inch grass-like foliage provides a nice green cover through the winter. In spring, the foliage dies back and the bulbs rest until the September flower show begins again. This is a great old-time plant that is often shared between gardeners but can also be found in garden centers and from online nurseries. They do not like to be disturbed, so it may take a year or two before your bulbs are established and begin to flower. Plant some soon and be ready for the surprise!!!

1 comment:

Meems said...

i stumbled across your blog through a local landscape website. i have been gardening in florida all my life but never have grown hurricane lilies. i went to a website that sells them after seeing them here and i admit i have to get some bulbs to plant for next year. they are very striking. thanks.