Surprise Lilies - So many names, so many surprises, and then again...not!

A few surprises and then again ... not. - Lycoris squamigera - ©CindyRippe2013

I posted yesterday's picture of leaves peeking up through a late winter puddle as I headed out the door to pick up my Granddaughter for a surprise visit. (Her Mom called with a last minute request for babysitting help which was a nice surprise for me!)  On my way to get her I had lots of time to think about those leaves that I saw.  I felt sure they must be the Surprise Lilies but it seemed way to early for them.  You just know I love to figure things out .... and lucky for me I have tons of pictures of our garden to search through.  Found it!

They ARE Surprise Lilies. The leaves emerge in late winter or early spring and then wither and die away. The plants go dormant (and need no water) until the flowers emerge in mid-summer (hence the 'surprise'), which allows them to survive prolonged periods of summer drought. (source)  The leaves above were photographed on March 12th and the flowers on July 29th of 2012.  That reminded me of our early spring last year.  Several of the flowering bulbs came up early but then wilted away quickly due to the heat.  Maybe this year will be better for them.

Back to the Lilies...  I knew they had lots of names but I was surprised to find so many!  The botanical name is Lycoris squamigera and they are a part of the Amaryllis or Amaryllidaceae family (that shouldn't be a surprise - they look alike).  The list of names include: Autumn Lycoris, Guernsey Lily, Hardy Amaryllis, Hurricane Lily, Magic Lily, Mystery Lily, Naked Lily, Nekkid Lady, Pink Flamingo Flower, Pink Lady, Resurrection Lily, Spider Lily, and Surprise Lily.  Do you know any other names for them?

So the surprises are many: Finding the leaves in a deep puddle, not recognizing them, finding so many different names, the last minute opportunity to visit Bella and the surprise the plants got today with our snow storm!

Not a surprise???  The flowers are PINK!  My favorite as well as the dominant color in my garden. Why wouldn't I plant them?

Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long. Psalm 90:14

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