A cold front that came through Raleigh, NC yesterday brought much needed rain and cooler temperatures. Coupled with the hit and miss showers last week, the first of our lycoris (surprise lily, hurricane lily, spider lily) have started to emerge in the garden. We look forward to a steady procession of “surprises” as we move into late summer and fall.
Lycoris have long been a geophyte (bulbs, corms, tubers, etc.) of interest, and since our climate is perfect for their growth, we are attempting to assemble a complete lycoris collection, and sort out some of the taxonomic misinformation, as well as to make many unavailable clones available to more gardeners. Here at JLBG, we currently grow all of the Lycoris species and over 650 unique clones, making this most likely the largest lycoris collection in the world.
We are currently working on our fall catalog and eleven lycoris made the fall catalog cut, including eight first time offerings. Keep your eyes out….we’re coming to a mailbox near you
What is the variegated polygonatum in the Phil’s Gold picture?
The variegated polygonatum is ‘Fireworks’. And I must correct myself, the image is not Phil’s Gold, but Piedmont Gold.
The lycoris is an early flowering form of Lycoris chinensis that we are calling L. ‘Piedmont Gold’.
Beautiful! What is the best time of year to plant Lycoris in Wake County? Could they thrive in a large container?
Any time that the ground isn’t frozen is a good time to plant. They would not overwinter outdoors in a container…only in the ground.