Rain lilies blooming…

September 11, 2009

It's always a nice surprise when the rain lilies start blooming. I have a few different species in my garden but this one is the most vigorous (Zephyranthes candida). I have a lovely hybrid called 'Autumn Sunset' with the prettiest peach blooms given to me by my friend Jimmy. I just noticed a couple of buds on it yesterday. Rain lilies are really tough and versatile and you can plant them amidst herbaceous perennials, other bulbs and even turf. While they'll bloom sporadically through summer, the biggest flush of blooms on this species usually comes in spring and again in fall. The bulbs are tiny so they're easily inter-planted into groundcovers like liriope and mondo grass. Some have a light pleasant fragrance. They multiply by bulb and seed.

Rainlillies

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