The ideal conditions for a great rain lily flowering season is a dry period followed by rain. This summer, we’ve had that in spades. Following 23 days with no rain, we’ve had 8″ in the last two weeks. Rain lilies of the Amaryllid genus, Zephyranthes are designed to hold their flower buds below ground until they feel rain. Impact sprinklers or drip irrigation won’t trigger flowering, although oscillating sprinklers which better mimic the feel of raindrops will serve as a trigger. Within 2-4 days after a rain event, we experience what the late rain lily breeder, Fadjar Marta, called a rain lily blitz. If you have a good collection of rain lilies, the blitz can be quite spectacular.
After a summer rain, the first rain lily hybrid group to bloom are the Labuffa hybrids. These are seedlings from the original Northern Mexican collection of one of the most incredible hybrid groups ever introduced by the now shuttered Yucca Do Nursery. These are hybrids of Zephyranthes drummondii and a still-un-named dark pink species. Two days after the Labuffa’s open, the Zephyranthes reginae/grandiflora hybrids open. While the Labuffa’s are almost all in the white/pink range, the Z. reginae/grandiflora hybrids include yellow, orange, pink, and every color in between.
Zephyranthes ‘Big Dude’ is a Labuffa hybrid.
