The Ladies are back in town and I am happy to report they are fully dressed or at least they have their fancy hats on. It is always such fun to walk out into the garden and find that they have returned in all their spendor.
What ever you want to call them 'Naked Ladies' or 'Surprise Lilies' they are fun to have in the garden. In early spring they send up this thick daylily like foilage which you can see on the left of the bottom photo just beyond the Iris foilage. It stays around for quite a while then dies back and I totally forget about their presence.
Then like a few days ago I saw the sword like, naked stems popped up. I thought come one ladies, at least put your hats on, I see you blushing over there.
They obliged me by popping on their hats. I think they are a fun addition to any garden. They will stay around now for some time before bedding down for the year. I hope you have some of these lovely visitors to your garden.
What ever you want to call them 'Naked Ladies' or 'Surprise Lilies' they are fun to have in the garden. In early spring they send up this thick daylily like foilage which you can see on the left of the bottom photo just beyond the Iris foilage. It stays around for quite a while then dies back and I totally forget about their presence. Then like a few days ago I saw the sword like, naked stems popped up. I thought come one ladies, at least put your hats on, I see you blushing over there.They obliged me by popping on their hats. I think they are a fun addition to any garden. They will stay around now for some time before bedding down for the year. I hope you have some of these lovely visitors to your garden.
I do not have any of these lovely ladies, but I do have red spider lilies, which are also "naked." These are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any of these, Lisa, but have always wanted some. I love surprises, especially during these dog days:)
ReplyDeleteMine just popped open too!
ReplyDeletehttp://metaphyta.blogspot.com/2008/08/weed-whackin-fun-and-surprise-lilies.html
I don't have clumps anywhere near that size though. Yours make an amazing display.
I have never seen these before-how absolutely gorgeous they are! WOW!
ReplyDeleteFor several years I had a small grouping of these and like you, was always surprised when they bloomed. But, I think they went when we had to pull a bush that had died- they were planted close to it. Yours are lovely!
ReplyDeleteI have these Surprise Lilies, too and the Lycoris radiata...the spider lily Pam has in her garden. I do love them! Mine are beginning to fade ...not enough water in that section of the garden! A much needed treat at this time aren't they!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa......they are lovely, what a wonderful surprise....don't you just love that, you forget they are there and hey presto sunddenly you have beautiful blooms.......
ReplyDeletethat is nice surprise. I've never heard of these naked ladies...very cool.
ReplyDeletecheers
irena
Dear Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI almost did a post about the Naked Ladies today too. A couple of mine opened this morning. I was waiting for a bug to find them for a picture...
Yours are very pretty.
Sometimes I will cut some for my house. I am not crazy for their scent but they last a week in a vase of water.
Hope you are staying cool. It is so hot. The Naked Lilies are a fresh spot in my hot garden.
Sherry
Hi Lisa, your ladies are lovely. Mine, like Gails, are about finished. They could have used more water. I want to know though, do you dig and divided them? I have five clumps of foliage, it is marked and I make sure not to dig it us while they are dormant, but if two clumps flower consider myself lucky. Maybe they need more water? Last year was only one flower, with a worse drought than this year that gave more blooms. Should I be doing something else? Yours look so good.
ReplyDeletePam, I am not sure what Red Spider Lilies are. I will have to look them up to see.
ReplyDeleteRose, maybe I can give you a few bulbs.
Arythrina, I will pop over to have a look at your suprise lilies.
Thank you Teri.
Beckie, the SL take a lot of abuse. Maybe you should go out and look where they used to come up. Maybe one will pop up. If not maybe I could give you a couple of bulbs to get you started again.
Yes Gail, I just love to go out and find them blooming.
Hi Cheryl, they are a treat.
Cheers to you Irena.
Sherry, I have never brought any inside. My sense of smell isn't very good. I didn't notice that they smell. Maybe I will bring a couple inside to see what they smell like.
Gosh Frances I don't do anything to these lilies. They sort of take care of themselves. They are in a place that doesn't get any supplemental water. We had an inordinate amount of rain this spring though. The clump I showed is the largest clump I have. I have taken a few from this clump to start in different spots in the garden. I don't ever divide them for any other reason. I just love to walk out and find them blooming. It is always a surprise. I don't know what to tell you about few blooms. Maybe they are just showing the stress of two years of drought.
I adore these Ladies! I shall look into planting them too! Adorable!
ReplyDeleteYour comment touched me! Thank you xo
I see these in various yards around here, but I've never had them. How fun!
ReplyDeleteDear Lisa, I have not seen them before :) and they are so lovely and surprising! I definately would like to have some of them in the garden - they look outstanding.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Ewa
What lovely ladies indeed!
ReplyDeleteI've never grown them but I always admire them in other people's yards. Yours are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
A great surprise for you, Lisa. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSome our surprise lilies just bloomed. Our established lilies haven't bloomed in two years, but those transplanted last year did. There's something going on there that we cannot quite figure out.
They are lovely, Lisa. A nice surprise, especially when you think the garden isn't as fresh as it was...
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful. A friend gave me a bulb of these (still in a pot)an d I intend to plant them in the garden this Fall. They do bloom a lot earlier around here.
ReplyDeleteI bought some bulbs that I thought were "naked lilies" in the spring... same characteristics you listed. They were actually called Belladonna Lily. Huge bulbs. Nothing has happened. (I guess they are really naked!) It was a new thing for me so I just figured I did something wrong.
ReplyDeleteYour pink surprises are very lovely. Much like the rain lilies I do grow well here. Only rain lilies are shorter scaped.
I also planted red spider lilies for the first time... hopefully they'll come popping out of the ground in September.
Meems @Hoe&Shovel
Mine don't bloom! It's so unfair. I love these flowers, they're so beautiful with their tinge of bloom & their sweet fragrance. Yours look outstanding.
ReplyDeleteI want some so very much, Lisa. I think I'll buy some for spring. Thanks for the reminder.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteVery pretty, indeed! I don't have these either, but I have plenty of daylilies popping into bloom. Now, if only the garden elves hadn't moved their labels on me....
ReplyDeletethe nakedness of nature is exquisite ... peace, jp/deb
ReplyDeleteLisa - boy those are so special! They are very ... "perky"... yes, I think that's the word for them. I wonder if they would like it here or if they want more chill than we get. Or if they would wilt in 40 days of over 100 FREAKING degrees already this summer!!! It is the neverending summer, and then some. It makes me just want to come sit in that cool, shaded passage way where your ladies are sitting!
ReplyDeleteHow long has it taken to get such a nice swath of Naked Ladies, Lisa? The "hat" analogy is just right!
ReplyDeleteI used to see them in old established gardens in Illinois and planned to grow them someday but that day never came. Maybe I'll now start planning on someday growing the red spiders in Austin.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I would like to have some naked ladies in my garden. They are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWe have had so much rain, nothing looks good here now. I will have a major clean up-if the rain ever stops.
I dearly wish they would grow in colder climes, but at least I get to enjoy yours, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteYour ladies look divine! Beautiful photographs, the color is spot on!
ReplyDeleteMine have not shown up yet, but I expect them soon ;-)
Hi Lisa - just hopped on over to thank you for your visit to my place last week :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any surprise lilies in my garden, but I have a lovely clump of Monarda just like yours. I thought I'd lost it last year, but it's made a comeback and don't the bees just love it!
PS - I'm a Jill of many trades too - isn't it great?
ReplyDeleteUnforunately the laides aren't hardy here in Sweden - but I've enjoyed your pictures and your description of them very much!
ReplyDelete/Katarina
How pretty! I keep meaning to dig some of these bulbs up from my grandmother's (she has given me permission, as they need to be thinned anyway) but I always forget at the opportune moment. Maybe this will be the summer I remember.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, it has taken about 6 years for this big clump to form. It probably would have done so sooner but I have dug up the bulbs more than once to sprinkle them around in the garden.
ReplyDeleteMy computer is still down so I am not able to get around to all the blogs as I would like to. I hope to try to get a post up on my DB's computer before it goes kaput too.
I hope you all have had a good weekend and are able to enjoy the Olympics while it is too hot to be out and about.
Update: Our established surprise lilies are beginning to bloom. They were just a little slow.
ReplyDeleteA coolish, rainy weekend in the Ozarks. Very atypical for August, but very much appreciate.
Sorry about your computer. Looking forward to your return to cyberspace.
so funny you posted on this, because just yesterday I rounded the side of the house and there were the surprise lillies in our their splendor! Like you, I forget they are there, then am delighted to see them at a time of year when everything else is looking tired.
ReplyDeleteThey are sooooo pretty! I just love 'em. I am waiting for some that I planted last fall to bloom (getting very close)!
ReplyDeleteMany of my neighbors have these and I agree--they are fun.
ReplyDeleteI'd never seen them until a few yaers ago--such an odd, but pretty plant.
Your "ladies" are indeed beautiful. I never succeeded to grow lilies though I planted them several times. This Spring was the last try...now I stop wishing to have them ;-). I'll admire these plants in other gardens from now.
ReplyDeleteYour "ladies" are indeed beautiful. I never succeeded to grow lilies though I planted them several times. This Spring was the last try...now I stop wishing to have them ;-). I'll admire these plants in other gardens from now.
ReplyDeleteIn my country they are called autumn crocuses and are very popular. I don't have them .........yet!
ReplyDeleteFun post on some funny but pretty nekkid ladies, Lisa.
Have a great weekend!
These are beautiful Lisa! I love the soft colouring of them. Lovely photos too!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking wonderful!
I've got lots of catch up reading to do here at Greenbow :-)
I can see where they get the name 'surprise lily'. Sounds like they're forgotten by most everyone until they pop up again.
ReplyDeleteThey look lovely in their hats :)
Lisa, I haven't been getting much visiting done, but I see you haven't been posting or visiting much. I hope all is well with you. I'm finally getting my computer back tomorrow! I hope yours is OK.