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Perennials Amaryllis/Hippeastrum Bulbs

Resurrection Lily planting advice?

linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)

3 years ago

I bought one in a nursery. The bulb is larger than tennis ball sized. It was being sold along with summer bulbs like dahlias.
My parents had them in their garden and I always thought they were easy. Yet when I I transplanted some to my garden, they didn't live.
They had them at the top of a slope where they received zero care and only rainfall. Yet they thrived.
I know that the leaves are produced first, then those die back and the flower blooms in the fall.
What can I do to ensure success with this single bulb? What conditions do they like? I am guessing most of my main perennial and hosta beds will be too moist.
Instructions on the package are generic. Not even saying how deep to plant it. I can put it in a nursery pot to coax it along if that's helpful.
Thanks!

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Comments (8)

dbarron
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
In general, they're almost foolproof. In fact, my aunt is in war with lycoris squamigera (the most common old fashioned one)..and since I'm starting to see seedlings appearing in the lawn, despite my efforts to deadhead, I'm beginning to agree with her.
Plant them, let the foliage grow, and leave them alone is the best recipe for success. They don't tolerate overly dry or overly wet, though dry is better than sopping wet.

They DO not like being transplanted and actually don't like dry storage (but tough they are).

Here, it doesn't matter how deep you plant them...they do fine with the neck barely buried or six inches down.
laceyvail 6A, WV
3 years ago
L. squamigera, locally known as Naked Ladies or Surprise Lilies, are common here and seem to grow in just about any conditions, except wet soil. I grow L. sprengeri which is so magnificent that blooms always take my breath away. I have taken bulbs from the original clump and dotted them around the gardens. To do this I just pry up the big clump a little bit with a spading fork, reach in and pull out a few bulbs, then lower everything back. The big clump doesn't seem to mind though the new plantings take a year or so. I move them when the foliage has just died back.
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hi there! i have been wanting some suprise lilies, what color are they and check out my trade list and i can tell you what i have avaliable if you see anything you woud like! thanks so much!
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I would love to move these beauties, but have no idea when or how. I have read it somewhere, but of course cannot find it now, that it is best to move them when they are dormant, which would be after the leaves have all pretty well died down naturally. The post below refers to Lycoris Radiata. It is a lot less hardy, and you most probably have the Lycoris Squamigera, which is a pink lily atop a bare stem in late summer. Also, I have read that they need to be divided every 3 to 5 years and again, I don't agree with that in that they will often sulk a season (year) or two before blooming after being moved or divided. It is imho just much better to give the bulbs plenty of space when you plant them, so they will not need disturbing for several years. Some of mine have been planted for maybe 10+ years, and are just now needing divided, as there are a lot more bulbs than there are blooms. I dug some bulbs and gave them to a neighbor. She missed getting one planted, and a bloom emerged from the bulb anyway at the appropriate bloom time, just laying on a table in her carport. If you leave all of the foliage in place to fade away naturally, and move them at the best time, you too may see blooms later this summer at their usual bloom time. Plant them with the base (bottom) of the bulb about 5" deep. Some of mine are probably not even that deep as the tops of some bulbs are at about ground level, yet do fine here in my zone. Sue...chemocurl Here is a link that might be useful: dig and divide lycoris radiata
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Bright shade to full sun is the best, but part-shade could work as well. They might not bloom for a year or two after transplantation, so chose planting site carefully. If you have a short spring-summer blooming plant (up to 2'-2.5' tall) be it a shrub or just hosta, plant it behind it and in early fall that plant will be 'blooming' again. Another interesting combo is with sib.irises or iris ensata. In this case you'll not see flowers not on a naked stems, but rather see blooms above irises foliage which is about starting deteriorate at the time L.squamigera finishes its bloom.
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Bulbmeister is a great place: http://www.bulbmeister.com/flowershop/sso2007/page15.html#LYCORIS and Old House Gardens, who lists them for fall planting: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/bulb.asp?Cat=DI&page=2#lycoRad \ GGG
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gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
3 years ago
I dug some out and just threw them on top of shady soil covered with leaves, thinking that they would die. Nope, they are thriving; go figure. And some that I have purposely transplanted I just dig deep enough to cover the bulb and they always live for me.
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
3 years ago
I often hear people saying how foolproof they are. Yet since the ones I I transplanted from my mother's garden failed to live, they must not be as tolerant of all conditions as commonly thought.

Lycoris squamigera is what I THOUGHT they were. But all we ever called them was the common name.

The name on this package is Amaryllis Belladonna, though. Photo looks the same, though, as the one I'm familiar with.
dbarron
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
A. belladonna isn't even hardy here (by the way). It is NOT a lycoris (obviously) and we're talking apples and oranges. We have gone down the rabbit hole with assumptions on common names, again.
laceyvail 6A, WV
3 years ago
Yeah. No more related to one another than I am to you.
dbarron
3 years ago
I dunno, you could be a cousin :)
laceyvail 6A, WV
3 years ago
Well, we're both gardeners :)

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