It’s that magical time of the year when naked ladies are dancing in gardens. Naked ladies being one of several common names for Lycoris. Other common names are surprise lilies and spider lilies. They bloom without their foliage, hence the common name “naked ladies”. Depending on the type of Lycoris, the foliage follows either soon after they are done blooming or waits until spring. It’s fun to pair these flowers either with other plants blooming at this time or with foliage. Here are two pairings that caught my eye. The winter-squash orange of Lycoris chinensis gloriously set off by the sparkling burgundy foliage of Calycanthus floridus ‘Burgundy Spice’ PP 28,886. The second example is of multiple clumps of Lycoris x straminea ‘Caldwell’s Original’ growing through the foliage of Coreopsis verticillata. To be successful, such combinations must allow the Lycoris foliage to have the room and sun exposure when it is in growth. Now these are properly attired ladies.
The derivation of the scientific name Lycoris is sort of part of this story. Lycoris was a beautiful Roman actress and supposedly one of the Marc Antony’s lovers, Marc Antony being the Roman politician and general who lived from 83 BC to 30 BC.