I received a Naked Lady/Surprise Lily bulb 3 years ago. The foliage appears in Springtime, then dies back as expected. But the stalk does not appear until very late in the Autumn - when we begin to get the first frosty nights. The flowers end up freezing, & shriveling up before they can mature. I live in zone 6, & the bulb is planted in a South facing garden against the house foundation, so the temperatures are a little warmer all year round - perhaps more like zone 7. The bulb itself has grown each year - now at least the size of a baseball.
What can I do to produce earlier blossoms? Some gardeners report flower stalks in July! Can it be treated as a potted houseplant, & given a rest (Stored dry) for the Winter like other bulbs? Should it be moved to a cooler location?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Julie
Jonesin' For Some Naked Lady Blossoms
My Naked Lady is now about half way into the bloom - the buds are not fully opened up. And in November! It is too late for this zone for the blossoms to fully emerge. Does anyone have experience with these "easy" bulbs?
I am not going to be of much help since I am in zone 9 and have them planted all over the gardens...but mine were late blooming this year too and I lost some blooms to an early frost . Here is one of last years bloomers....Lauri
Oh so pretty! I am so jealous of your beautiful lilies!
I have yet to see mine open up like that. I did pose the question to a website that has lily experts to reply to readers' questions. They explained that the cooler weather is what triggers the blossoming cycle. Perhaps the spot is too stable temperature wise - it may not get down as low as it should, until too late in the season. Sounds like good advice to me - What have I got to lose? I will relocate the bulb next Spring - I may lose the flowers for the season, but it may just do the trick. In the meantime I shall have to be satisfied with looking at photos!
I think the pale pink one is the most hardy...but probably in your area it is too cold.
Lycoris squamigera, the pale pink one, is hardy in zone 4a for me. I wish I could grow the others, and someday I will try.
To the subject at hand, maybe if the CT summer was drier, the return of moisture might help trigger the bloom emergence. Just conjecture, but it would be worth an experiment if you have more than one plant. Try covering the area with plastic temporarily to get drier soil, but don't let it heat up too much-or would that help too?
That may work too - but I just have the one, so I will relocate it. I won't be able to enjoy the blossoms where it is now, so there will be no regrets. Especially if it sulks for the next year or two! It must not be happy where it is now. Everything else grows like a weed in the South garden - all that sun & heat!