Thursday, May 30, 2013
Q. I have a plant (from a white bulb) that comes up every spring. It has tons of leaves, but it never has a spring flower. Should I get rid of it? Do I need to divide it more often?
Theresa from Youngstown
A. Your plant is most likely a resurrection lily (Lycoris squamigera) from the amaryllis family. It is also called a magic lily or a naked lady. These bulbs were a favorite of many of our grandmother’s gardens, but are less popular these days.
I would guess many people do not know what this plant is. Most times it is removed by new homeowners before the beautiful pink flowers appear.
This lily gets its name from the way it blooms. You are correct in that there is lots of foliage this time of year, but no bloom. The foliage is plentiful in the spring, but simply dies back just like daffodils and tulips.
Summer goes on as usual, and nobody knows anything different about this plant. Some perennials begin to show signs of heat stress and their flowers begin to fade. Just when the garden is getting a little ragged, a glimmer of hope appears.
A flower stalk (with no leaves) magically appears in early August. If you are not watching the garden, you might miss it just because you are not watching for it (or you are busy with vacation or neighborhood barbecues.)
The blooms are generally 20 inches high with five or more flowers trumpeting out of the top of the stalk. The flowers are quite showy and very fragrant. They will remind you of your winter amaryllis bulbs, just a little smaller and pink in color rather than red.
The August heat makes this a short blooming plant, but it will last about two weeks with partial shade in the afternoon. Well-drained soil helps the bulbs multiply and bloom repeatedly.
Generally, there are no pests or diseases that attack this plant.
This is a great plant to share. Just dig the bulbs after the flowers fade. Plant the bulbs in a new place in your garden, or share them with your gardening friends.