My wife loves spider lillies. I would hate to have a mail order failure. What varieties of spyder lillies or other amaryllis types do well in North Texas? Who carries them in the Plano Area?

Hello,

I am planting Red Spider Lillies (Lycoris radiata radiata) this year. I bought some bulbs at Redenta's in Arlington. They also have a Dallas location. I also ordered some bulbs on line at: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/

Hope this helps

Fall Spider Lilies
Lycoris, or fall spider lilies, are excellent for woodland or shady gardens. Plants will blooms well when planted under trees or large shrubs. They are divided into two types: “evergreen’ types that send up leaves in autumn, and late-leafing types that produce foliage in early spring. Both bloom in autumn.

Red spider lily( often called Guernsey Lily)
The heirloom strain of Lycoris radiata imported to North America in the late eighteenth century, is distinct from the imported types that are currently imported from Japan. This species sends up foliage and blooms in autumn. Foliage is dormant in summer.

Lycoris traubii- Saffron yellow blossoms with wide, flattened petals. Very frost tolerant.
Lycoris alba- Cream colored varieties tinted with various shades of yellow, salmon, or pink.
Lycoris x jacksoniana- very hardy hybrid with pink-lavender blooms

•Spring- foliage Lycoris tend to be more sensitive to high soil temperature. Plant in shady spots.

Lycoris squamigera •Thrives on both sandy acidic soils and heavy alkaline clays. This species multiplies by clumping.
Lycoris sanquinea – small orange-red blooms
Lycoris sprengeri – light pink blooms
Lycoris incarnate – rose & blue petals

Oxblood Lily -Rhodophiala bifida
This very tough species has narrow foliage that emerges in late fall . R. bifida thrives on heat, humidity, and poor soils. Plants multiply by clumping. Flowers appear in early fall with the first rains.


Spring Blooms
Hardy Red Amaryllis - Hiippeastrum x johnsonii
Hardy Red Amaryllis sports crimson red blooms with white stripes. Foliage is strap-shaped and long. Blooms emerge first in the spring, and then are followed by the foliage, which dies away in autumn.
This hybrid is the most tolerant to clay soils of the amaryllis.

The Lycoris Radiata sold by Old house gardens:

http://www.oldhousegardens.com/bulb.asp?Cat=DI&page=2

is NOT the Nerine sarniensis (Guernsey Lily) Read the description below:

Hurricane lily — Don’t be confused! This is the true Southern heirloom: a triploid, which gives it extra vigor, not the Japanese diploid that’s most commonly sold today. Its exotic, spidery, coral-red blooms appear in September. Southern gardeners often call it “Guernsey lily,” but it is not Nerine sarniensis. It is a treasure. 18-22 inches, zones 7-10, from Texas.

Thanks. You gals are great. I'll look for lycoris radiata immediatley. I have seen it popping up all over my neighborhood lately. I will also try thd oxblood. I just purchased a bella donna amaryllis. $5 for a base ball sized bulb. It's so big that it looks like an onion. I hope I didn't get fooled (just kidding, it came from a reputable nursery). Should I plant it now (September 23) or wait a few weeks?

Leslie... can these things lay dormant for an extended period? I have at least 20 of them going hog wild on the south side of my home the past week.

In past years I have seen 1-2 max, and did not even know the previous owner had planted them to begin with (I've been there 4 years).

Do they need lots of water and moderate temps to kick them off... like we have had in spades the last 2 weeks??

Billusa99,
They can indeed lay dormant for a long time. My mother has oxblood lilies. They were a passalong plant and came with the name "Surprise Lily." With little rain, they don't even put up foliage. But when it rains, Surprise!

thanks for all of the info. I've got a couple of dozen of them making their best show ever. Although I had transplanted them to the current location from unwanted areas, I had always kind of thought they were weeds! Glad to know otherwise. They've received no treatment (special or otherwise) in the past and not likely to in the future, but knowing that they didn't get inadvertently "planted" by a bird raises their status. I'll be more respectful from now on.

Help! I just moved and I lost mky issue of the "dirt" about Spider Lillies.
I think it gave the good varietes and a web site to order them. Maybe someone has the copy of the "Dirt" and can repost for me. Also, when is best time to plant these odd flowers? Most Nurseries I have been in look at you funny when you ask for these!

gbcnewbie
Welcome to the Organic Forum, If you will send me your personal email address, via PM I will look in my Dirt mags, scan the info and send to you.

I have about 50 spider lillys which will soon meet their death as a new driveway is being put in. Would anyone like some of these? Better speak up soon. Concrete work starts in 3 days (I think). I've dug up all could handle for now.