Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Resurrection lily – the Rising!
I’ve told this story before but it bears repeating as we all go through this pandemic together. I’m calling today’s episode, Resurrection Lily – the rising! Hey 2020, TAKE THAT! Their latin name is Lycoris squamigera and they have a number of other common names, Magic Lily, Surprise lily, Naked Ladies to name a few
I came by this plant in July of 2012 when I moved into my current home. The previous owner told me that I wouldn’t see this flower coming and I didn’t. It has lush foliage early in the season…
…then the whole thing dies back. It looks kinda crappy.
BUT then, all of a sudden these stalks holding these beautiful flowers rise from what appears to be nothing. And I mean growing a few inches A DAY!
Are these not spectacular!?!
The resurrection lily prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade. The stalk grows to over 2 feet tall and produces about 6 flowers per stalk. The color is a pale pink to almost purplish color. Look at those blue tips!
Plant bulbs 5-6” deep and 6” apart in fall. Mulch the first winter while the bulbs establish and to prevent heaving. This lily will naturalize by bulb-offsets.
Most of the websites say to give your resurrection lily moderate water during the summer. I never gave this plant a thing and even during one of the hottest summers we’ve had in decades, it’s produced.
If you can find a source for the bulbs locally, try that first, however here are a couple of resources online for cooler climates:
White flower farms sells them, however I noticed they’re sold out this year.
Old House Gardens – Michigan – looks like they’re still available!
There are other cultivars but the “original” are my favorites!