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Lycoris Squamigera | Surprise Lily

Our Surprise Lilies were in the yard when we bought the house in 1986 and they re still going strong! Since they bloom in the summer, I have not done well in marking the date of first bloom as I tend to fail the longer the garden season goes along.

2017 - July 14

2023 - July 26

(Pronounced luh·kaw·ruhs ) (Greek word meaning "twilight")

(Pronounced squa-MEH-ger-a) (means "bearing scales" and there is a venomous viper aka snake with the same name!)

The family is Amaryllidaceae (Pronounced am-uh-ril-uh-DAY-see-I) and commonly known as the amaryllis family.

The Subfamily is Amaryllidoideae.

The species name makes reference to the small scales on the petals making them have an iridescent sparkle, especially in the sunlight.

This plant has SO many names! I have always called them Surprise Lily. The second most common name is Naked Ladies. Other names include Spider Lady, Pink Flamingo, Resurrection Lily, Hurricane Lily, Magic Lily, Mystery Lily, Sesame Lily, August Lily, and Upstart. It is such a unique plant that folks are inspired to call it lots of silly names.

These flower bulbs are unique from other bulbs in that the green foliage comes up first and must die back first so that the nutrients are stored in the bulb, and then they bloom months later without any foliage. That is opposite most bulbs that bloom immediately after the green foliage appears (think Daffodils) up from the ground and then the foliage must die back after the bloom (rather than before the bloom) to store the nutrients back into the bulb. That is why these are such a surprise as they have no precursor of foliage to let you know they are about ready to bloom! They appear to pop up out of the ground overnight and bloom. They are also called Naked Ladies because when they bloom, they are naked of any foliage because that has already done its thing and died back.

Some people call these Resurrection Lillies and I think that is incorrect. Easter Lillies are another variety that bloom shorter after Easter time, but can also be forced to bloom at Easter. Resurrection Lillies have a trumpet shape and these Surprise Lillies also have a somewhat trumpet shape and that is why folks confuse the two.

We have spread these all over our flower beds and then later dug them up as it is work to tie up the foliage with rubber bands or to maintain the foliage as it lays down taking up precious space in the flower beds. Then when it dies back, all that dead foliage is picked up and tossed or added to compost. This is why you often see this flower out in the middle or side of a yard in the grass. It is easiest to maintain when you do nothing with the leaves until they die back and then merely mulch mow them away. 

We can testify as to how difficult it is to get all of the bulbs up after they have been in the ground for a long time. The next year more come up as if they were carefully hiding from you. That makes this bulb easy to spread or even easier to give away to neighbors and friends as a gift.

Surprise lily bulbs can be planted at any time before the foliage comes up in the Spring or after they finish blooming in the summer. It is often too cold for the human flesh to transplant them in the early Spring, especially with the cold ground being hard, so most often these are transplanted in later Summer and Autumn.

The below photos were taken on July 26, 2023, while I was filming the video.

The below photos were taken on August 3, 2019.

I purposefully took a photo with blank space so I could put words there!

The below photos were taken in 2022.

The below photos were taken in 2020.

The below photos were taken in 2018.

These photos of the surprise lily with my old fence gate are some of my favorite. I love the color combination.

We even draped a white sheet over the fence to stage some photos! I do have fun with my camera sometimes!

The below photos were taken in 2017.

The below photos were taken in 2016.

It seems I put fabric behind the flower so I could put words on the photo. I bet it is somewhere else on my website.

The below photo was taken in 2015.

The below photos were taken in 2014.

The below photo was taken in 2011.

The below photos were taken in 2007.

The below photos were taken in 2006.

The below photos were taken in 2003.

The below photos were taken with my first digital camera in 2001.

They looked great with the Rudbeckia Hirta | Black-eyed Susan or Missouri Coneflower !

Wow. We had that Chevy Venture van for over 10 years! I think it was 12. Not sure.

 

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