Fall lilies

The most spectacular plant currently blooming in my garden are brilliant red Schoolhouse Lilies (Rhodophiala bifida). I assume they are so named because they usually appear around the start of the new school year. Another common name for these plants is Oxblood lily.

Schoolhouse lilies are said to have been brought over to Texas by the German settlers. It is amazing to me that bulbs from such a different environment could survive our hot dry summers. These lilies are truly adapted to our area. They like to be planted in partial shade and will multiply each year on their own.

The hot dry weather delayed the debut of Schoolhouse Lilies. They are not the only plant to delay their annual appearance. My Red Spider Lily ( Lycoris radiata) are only now starting to appear. Other names for this Lycoris include Surprise Lily, Red Magic Lily and Equinox Lily.

Equinox Lily is a good name for them since they appear around the time when the days and nights are of equal length.

Surprise Lily is also a descriptive name because they do suddenly appear overnight on a naked flower stock with no leaves. The leaves appear after the flower has died down and remain into the early spring. The leaves will then die down to lie dormant in the summer. Red Spider Lilies come from China and Japan. There is a yellow variety of Lycoris (Lycoris aurea).

I have never had success with the other varieties of Lycoris.

Red Spider Lilies multiply over the years. They are said to be best divided six to eight weeks after they bloom. It will take a few years for the new transplants to bloom, but it is worth the wait!

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist