Surprise Lilies

Surprise Lily, Magic Lily, Naked Lady

My surprise Lilies are blooming. These bulbous plants belong to the amaryllis family and are native to southern Japan.The five to seven pink four inch long trumpets are produced atop the pale, naked three foot tall stems and always remind me of a flock of flamingos standing in a shallow pool at Disney World. The flowers are sterile and do not develop seed pods.The bulbs are as long as three inches in diameter with long necks and persist for years once established. 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