Flowering in the garden this week is the virtually unknown geophyte, we fondly refer to as the Milli Vanilli lily, aka. Milla magnifica. Native from the Mexican states of Guerrero and Morelos, this unusual member of the onion family grows from a bulb that remains dormant until mid-June. Once the bulb breaks dormancy, the long, lax, blue-green onion like foliage lays flat on the ground, followed in mid-August with a flowering 3′ tall flower stalk. The floral spike is topped with a mass of long buds, that gradually open over several weeks, resembling nocturnally fragrant rain lilies. We grow ours in the rock garden, where it can stay very dry.
Thank you featuring this bulb! Elizabeth Lawrence grew it for many years in her garden in Charlotte.
How fascinating to know. She was indeed far ahead of her time.