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Texas Gardening

Spider Lilies won't bloom

14 years ago

Hi, all!

About 5 years ago, I planted several Spider Lilies I got from my mother in north Louisiana. Last year was the first year they bloomed, and they didn't bloom again this year. They grow and multiply like crazy, but they just won't bloom. They are in the front flower bed which faces west in the same bed as many daylilies and amarillises that all bloom profusely. Anybody have any idea what's up???

Thanks in advance!

Lynn Marie

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Comments (10)

debndal
14 years ago
Too much nitrogen? Mine bloom fine, but don't multiply very well, and they are in just average soil that I don't fertilize.
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treelover
14 years ago
Mine also bloomed but didn't multiply, till last year when they stopped doing anything ... too much shade maybe. I've never fed them anything but compost once in a while. I thought they'd rotted, and stuck them in a container of compost not hoping for anything much. Now they've started growing leaves again.

Here's a link I found while trying to figure out what I'd done wrong:

Here is a link that might be useful: spider lily care
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wantonamara Z8 CenTex
14 years ago
Are we talking about white spider lilies(hymenocaulis) Or red spider lillies AKA surprise lilies,naked klladies (Licoris radiata)????
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treelover
14 years ago
Oops! I'm referring to Hymenocallis littoralis, the white one.
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debndal
14 years ago
Well then disregard my post. I was talking about the red.
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beachplant
14 years ago
Mine bloom on & off through the year. Usually after a lot of rain. The ones in full sun and the ones in full shade bloom about the same, the ones in full sun are taller and fuller and reproduce faster than the ones in full shade. I rarely fertilize anything and this is one of those plants you see blooming at abandoned homesites.

They will sometimes not bloom for several years after being moved. Kind of like crinums. I've had them bloom right after moving them and then not again for a couple of years. Others bloom no matter what. I had some, along with some crinums waiting to be planted, it rained and they all bloomed.

I have some that were rescued off the beach after a storm a few years ago, they were being tossed around in the surf, some that were rescued from the street where someone dug them up and threw them out!, empty lots provided others, some came when the trailer park was closed. They are very tough plants and require little if any care. Though they are a favorite food for snails.

Lycoris/red spider lilies are also called hurricane lilies as they bloom during hurricane season. Ours are blooming now-just the yellow ones, no signs of red ones yet around the island.

Ignore them all!!

Tally Ho!
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Lynn Marie
Original Author
14 years ago
I'm talking about the red ones. I knew they sometimes had trouble blooming after being moved, but I hoped that when some of them bloomed last year, that they would bloom from now on. I even gave them a little flower food before they started sprouting leaves in hopes of encouraging them. But once again, all I have is leaves. I love these because of how they make me wonder what life was like in the 1800's when I'm sure some of them were planted around the abondoned homes. And because they are so pretty!
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debndal
14 years ago
lynnmarie - you probably should be fertilizing them with something like blood meal after they would normally bloom while the leaves are up, since that is when they are storing up reserves for the next year's bloom. Also, be sure you aren't cutting the leaves down while they are still green-wait till they've turned brown and crispy before removing the leaves. I've heard they are only moderately reliable. Mine have bloomed 3 years in a row now, but they haven't multiplied at all. I don't fertilize them - I pretty much ignore them.
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annnorthtexas
14 years ago
When I ordered the red spider lilies, the planting directions said to plant at one depth for blooms and deeper for them to spread. I planted them at a mix of the two but don't even remember the depth. Maybe you could plant a few a bit shallower? At that, it took a couple of years before I got blooms.
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Andrea Flanders
3 years ago
Too much moisture will stop them from blooming. They need a dry spell in spring and
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