Return of the spider lilies
October 01, 2008
The spider lilies (Lycoris radiata ) are blooming again.
Or I should say were blooming. I dug up most of the bulbs yesterday to bring to the new garden. But of course I left some behind—a surprise gift for future owners.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Wonderful Pam and very generous of you, hope the new owners can appreciate the surprises in store for them that live in the garden that will come with that house. I love the combo of the lilies with the susan seed heads, perfection! Don’t work too hard during your move, but after learning you are an amazon warrior, I need not fear for your health. ;->
Frances
I remember the surprises I had when moving here. It will be great fun for the new home owners.
Hi there Pam 😀
I just love your spider lilies! It’s tricky deciding what plants to take when you move, you don’t want to spoil the garden you have loved and tended but then again so many plants will have memories for you too and mean nothing to the new owners.
Good luck with your move – not too long now. Hope all goes well 😀
Pam, how on earth do you have the energy to pack your home, dig up bulbs and plants and move them, and give us beautiful new pictures daily to see and read about on your blog???? You ARE wonderwoman! Those spider lilies are the prettiest ones I’ve ever seen, I adore that color…perhaps I’ll plant some for myself now. Thanks for the great pictures and stories, as always.
FABULOUS photos Pam!!! I just bought a few of these bulbs so I’m hoping to have them (for the first time) in my garden next year. I also hope the new owners appreciate all you’re leaving behind. They are really getting an amazing gift.
wooo! They are truly spectacular, look like small fireworks. Very nice /Tyra
They are spectacular bloomers and even though I know I have them…they do really always surprise me! What a good idea to surprise the new owners! Pam, this is late but congrats on your well deserved awards…I have been away from a computer until today! Gail
Your garden flowers never cease to amaze.
These are sooooo gorgeous, Pam. I can only dream of having them except as pot plants, but I sure enjoy looking at yours. And congrats on your blotanical awards–I’m glad my votes counted toward your wins, and so glad to see you receive them.!! Your photography always inspires me to do better, too.
You can never have enough Lycoris hidden throughout the garden. Let me know if you want to throw a few my way. The old heritage southern types are hard to come by these days. the ones in the commercial market place seldom spread like the ones in old southern homesteads throughout the sunbelt.
They are so pretty! Your house must be full of boxes. When do we see the new garden? It will be fun to see before Pam pictures. Yes, BP pictures of the new garden before you put your special attention to it.
I’ve been gone for so long! I am just back online again and now I’m going to have to go back and read all the posts I’ve missed because I didn’t know you were moving! Amazing! I can’t wait for the opportunity to see you transform the new garden from top to bottom. Yay!
~Angela 🙂
I have some red spider lilies that are planted on a hill in the shade that bloomed as well as any. I saw a picture of some so numerous like wildflowers in a forest setting. I’m going to move more into these areas of shrubs and hellebores and spring ephemerals. They are dazzling from a distance.
Wishing you continued success with the move,
Donna
We use to have hundreds of spider lilies, but I traded most of them off for new plants and this year I only see one bloom! I alomst over did it. I can’t wait to see your new garden!
good luck with the move, and happy birthday!
Those are pretty.
Oh, that’s so beautiful! It almost makes me wish that I was going to be the next one to move into your home & garden. Almost… unfortunately my blood starts freezing around 20*C : (
I like the way you dug some spider lily bulbs and left some, Pam – sharing the future and celebrating the past at the same time.
As to transforming the new garden – surely you’re not going to charge right in and change a lot right away, are you? I hope you don’t mind your self-appointed Aunt Annie saying that I’ve moved into existing gardens a few times and things seemed to work out better when I took time to observe and think. There were a few things I hated enough to get rid of immediately, but in general I kept the existing trees and plants alive while waiting for changes in sun and shadow to appear, identified plants and tracked what happened in a hard rain.
Instant garden makeovers may work for house-flippers and TV garden hosts looking for ratings but in real life this is your home – why rush? Settle in and get acquainted ;-]
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
You are a generous soul, Pam. What a wonder filled present they will have next fall.~~Dee
Dear friends, thank you for the good wishes on the move. We’re in the new house, and I will post pics of BP (“before Pam”) soon, but for now I’m focusing on the interior. And Annie, I will certainly be taking your advice to take my time. The only thing I feel in a hurry about is placing that ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave, but the rest can wait. —Pam
I am an amateur gardener, and we had some spider lilies pop up in our yard. I want to dig up the bulbs and put them in a safer place. What is the best way to do that? I picked eight today and put them in a crystal pitcher on our dining room table. Absolutely beautiful! My husband and I had never seen these before.
Cindy, wait for the flowers to fade and the leaves to emerge. Then you can put a shovel in the soil near the leaves, lift the soil to a depth of around 8 inches, and pull the soil away from the bulbs. If they’ve been there a long time, they will probably benefit from being divided. Separate the big clumps of bulbs into individual pieces, making sure each piece has some root attached. Then you can replant them this fall or winter in a bed that has full to part sun.
Spider lilies don’t usually bloom the autumn after they’ve been moved or divided, so don’t panic if you don’t see the flowers next year. Give them another year to settle in, and your patience will be rewarded. —Pam