Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. At a home in Saint Matthews, dating from 1880, the yard is now naturalized. But in the fall, you can see where the formal beds from probably a century ago were the planted. Almost overnight, usually after a good, drenching rain, twelve to fifteen inch tall brilliant red spider lilies, Lycoris radiata, pop up and continue blooming for almost a month. Unlike most bulbs, the foliage doesn’t emerge until after the flowers have finished blooming. These bulbs originated in China and Korea and then made their way to Japan where a ship’s captain found them so attractive he brought several back to the United States. From what I’ve read, they don’t set seeds, having babies takes a lot of nutrients that’s why people dead-heading other bulbs after they flowers. Lycoris put that energy into bulb production and making larger clumps.
Spider Lillies
