Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Magic Lillies

Magic lily or also known as Naked Lady

The five to seven pink four inch long trumpets are produced atop the pale, naked three foot tall stems start blooming in mid August.
The foliage comes up in late winter and looks like a large-leafed clump of daffodils, but without flowers. There will be one bloom for about every 10 leaves produced by the clump. The leaves die away with the arrival of the first warm days of late spring, usually disappearing below ground by late May. This growth pattern is an adaptation of the species to survive in an area with moist springs and prolonged periods of summer drought.

Magic Lilies (Lycoris squamigera) first appeared in the American garden trade in about 1880, but they have been cultivated for centuries in Japan. It was originally misidentified and sold under the name Amaryllis halli.
Magic lilies are easy to grow, doing well in any average garden soil in full sun or partial shade. They are sold in both the spring and the fall in garden centers. If plants are to be divided from a friend’s garden, dig the plants after the blooms fade in September. They require no fertilization and, as far as I have seen, are bothered by no pests.