Resurrection Lily

Plant of the Week

Resurrection Lily

BY: Elyse Lucas

Some flowers are truly magical, but the resurrection lily (Lycoris squamigera) is in a class all its own. The plant’s leaves disappear in early summer only for blooms to suddenly appear on bare stalks from August through September. The phenomenon lends itself to the flower’s other common names, which include surprise lily, naked lady, and magic lily. In late summer, naked flower scapes rise to 2 feet tall, each bursting with four to seven funnel-shaped, rose-pink blooms. In spring, the plant has thick, grayish-green leaves before dying back. The resurrection lily is the most cold-hardy species of Lycoris being sold today.

Common name: Resurrection lily
Botanical name: Lycoris squamigera
Plant type: Bulb
Zones: 5 to 9
Height: 1½ to 2 feet
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Growing conditions
• Sun: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Organically rich, well-drained
• Moisture: Medium

Care
• Mulch: Mulch in winter where marginally hardy.
• Pruning: None needed.
• Fertilizer: None needed.

Propagation
• By seed or by division.

Pests and diseases
• No major insect or disease problems.

Garden notes
• Lycoris squamigera naturalizes by bulb offsets.
• The plant needs only moderate water after the leaves die back and before blooms emerge.
• L. squamigera is best used in borders or containers, but it also looks great in open woodland gardens or meadows.
• Resurrection lily is known for its showy, fragrant flowers.

All in the family
• The family Amaryllidaceae was first described by French naturalist Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire in 1805; it was named after Amaryllis, a beautiful shepherdess mentioned by Virgil and Ovid.
• Close relatives of the Amaryllis family are the onion family (Alliaceae) and the agapanthus family (Agapanthaceae).
• The genus Lycoris consists of 10 to 12 species of bulbous perennials from wooded hills or rocky sites in the mountains of China and Japan.

Where to buy
• Lazy S’s Farm, Barboursville, VA, www.lazyssfarm.com
• Old House Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI, 734-995-1486, www.oldhousegardens.com
• Willow Creek Gardens, Oceanside, CA, 760-721-7079, www.willowcreekgardens.com

(Photo courtesy of Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden)

Comments

By angel38271 Monday, November 08, 2010 12:11 PM

I always wondered what this flower was called. I knew it was from the lily family. We had them just come up on our yard,with no planting bulbs or seeds. I think it is a very beautiful.

By mim Monday, January 24, 2011 11:56 AM

I tried to grow these last year. I planted them in the recommended sun and soil. The leaves came up and died. My mother-in-law, not knowing what they were, cleaned up the dead leaves. She did not pull up any of the bulb. However, the flowers never appeared. Could the removal of the dead leaves have killed the plant? I want to plant them again, but I don't know what happened to the first ones.

By sapiontek Sunday, March 06, 2011 6:56 AM

I got 2 of these 'Magic Lily' bulbs from my next-door neighbors 5 years ago. The narrow leaves emerge weeks after all my other perennials, and are healthy, green, and tall. Then they suddenly die off...I do remove the dead leaves ONLY when they are decaying and come free without any tugging. Suddenly (after I actually forget about them no longer being there) within a few weeks...like 'Magic' the blooms 'burst' out of the ground and grow 2 feet tall in just days, and will be ready to open in just a few more days. Every year I wonder if they have died...only to be surprised by their rapid 'Resurrection'. They are truly amazing and worth trying again. .(I live in Northeast WI, Zone 5)

By pjmcg51 Tuesday, March 08, 2011 11:37 AM

Mim, They do not bloom the first year, I have some that bloom every other year.

By tiggerday Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:25 PM

We've always called the "naked Lilies" My mom gave me some that were originally at my great grandma's house then hers. When I planted them the first year the leaves came up but no flowers. I thought they had died. They have been flowering ever since though.

By tiggerday Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:25 PM

By mim Thursday, March 31, 2011 12:27 PM

Thank you, all, for your information. I bought some new bulbs, but put them in a different spot in my garden. Guess what is coming up in the original spot? Yes, huge mounds of leaves from the first time I planted the lilies. I am hoping for blooms this year, and my mother-in-law will be thrilled. She felt so bad last year although I told her that it was OK, I happen to kill off bunches of my own plants and that I would buy more. The new ones are just starting to peek up, and I won't expect blooms from them this year. Maybe the two groups will alternate blooming every other year!

By joanneschnell Sunday, May 15, 2011 11:40 AM

I live in west central Wisconsin in zone 4 and these lilies thrive here even without mulch. I plant them next to my Hostas. When the leaves die the Hostas cover them, so they aren't so unsightly.

By swroblewski1 Tuesday, May 17, 2011 7:04 PM

For mother's day my son bought me three 'naked lilies'. They are still blooming. When is the best time to put them in my garden?
I'm very new at gardening and I need some advise. Do I put them in the ground while they are still blooming?
help!
sharon

By mim Wednesday, May 18, 2011 9:10 AM

Since my other posts, I have found a Master Gardener to mentor me. I have learned a lot from him. You may have to have some patience, Sharon. Do not plant any bulb while it is still blooming. Plus, your bulbs were forced to bloom at a time that is unnatural for them. I know this sounds weird, but the best thing to do is sink the pot into the soil and let the bulbs go through this summer and try to regain their timing. In the late fall, take the bulbs out of the pot(s), and plant them where you want them to be. Hopefully, they will come up next year and bloom at their usual time, a little later in the summer. There's no guarantee that any bulb that is forced in a greenhouse will bloom, but this method gives them the best chance. Good luck!

By swroblewski1 Monday, May 23, 2011 3:21 PM

Thank you for the information. You have given me some good ideas.
I'll bury the whole pot until fall. Then I have a perfect place for them!

By patrose3 Tuesday, October 04, 2011 2:34 PM

Now is the time to plant Lycoris -we have red, pink and yellow in stock this year -check out www.marlborobulb.com and my blog at www.marlborobulb.blogspot.com/ I just love the way these blooms suddenly appear out of nowhere it seems and just ignore the drought conditions we are facing right now in South carolina anyway this year.

By gispa30 Sunday, March 25, 2012 11:50 AM

I have oodles of them. They really multiply.

By rumlady101 Thursday, July 19, 2012 12:04 PM

I was wondering why this year only I have these sprouting everywhere in one of my flower beds, they usually come up in the fall just as my annuals are dying off. I am afraid I will have a naked flower bed this fall and winter, unless they bloom again which is not likely. I have lived here for 9 years and I transplanted these from another place in my yard, they always bloom in the fall and winter. Very strange this year.