Author Topic: Rain lilies, my newest obsession (Read 9018 times)

Kat · « **on:** June 04, 2011, 06:59:11 PM »

For years I had no clue what these were as I had forgotten the name after someone gave me a start.

Then I saw some for sale at Home Depot in the bog plants & tried them out with wet feet.

Got some yellow ones & gave them a try with wet feet. They grow in my garden, too. These drop seeds & I've got new tiny plants of it coming up.

Got these in a mixed lot & they do produce seed.

These pink do not produce seed but will multiply by forming new bulbs.

New for this year.

These make seeds. I got them as clipped bulbs so they've not grown their foliage yet.

SueSTx · « **Reply #1 on:** June 04, 2011, 07:36:36 PM »

Nice...mine didn't survive the winter

Jerry · « **Reply #2 on:** June 04, 2011, 09:55:51 PM »

I can see why it's an obsession. I have never seen them. In our zone they should do fine too.

I will search. have a Botonical name?

Mikey · « **Reply #3 on:** June 04, 2011, 11:26:20 PM »

I have two pots of rain lilies so when I saw your thread I was expecting to see just a few but wow, you have quite a collection of them.

greenthumbnails · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2011, 03:36:03 AM »

I had come across an article on rain lilies and it said something like they are hard to find because they are not easily found in the nurseries (interesting was at HD) and so it is a "pass-a -long" plant from one person to another via friends and family. I thought that was neat. I have seen them once in a while on ebay though.

Kat · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2011, 04:44:51 AM »

I've found most of them from people on ebay. There is someone in Florida that says he has about 150 varieties of them but he only offers about 10 different ones for sale. Another ebay seller has the yellow ones for cheap, 300 for $50 or 30 for $12 and 50 pink for $10 (maybe $12). Those pink are the ones that don't produce seed. Don't order the "chocolate" ones as mine died & that is the only picture I've seen of them (maybe someone else would have better success). Got some Prairie Sunset seeds from a friend last year & they've done well. It will be another year at least before the seedlings are big enough to bloom though. Plant Delights (online) has some very interesting new hybrids but their prices are very high as I found out it is only 1 bulb/plant per pot & shipping is also just as high. I will say this though, the person I spoke to on the phone was very nice

Yucca Do nursery also carries them but I've not gotten any from them or made any inquires. There is another place that features pics of the flowers with people (models) displayed with the blooms, again, I've not made any serious inquires with them. If you are looking for flowers all the time, I've not seen that with my rain lilies. The mass blooms happen in late summer after getting a long rain. One of the ebay sellers says she gets daily blooms if she waters daily. She's in Florida, & they get more rain than me in the summer so I'm guessing that is helping to trigger the blooms more.

Sue, did you leave yours in the pond? With your drastic weather dips I would think you'd have to either have them planted in your garden or bring them into the garage to protect them.

Jerry, I bet they'd do well for you & get along with your other unusual plants that you have. Zephryanthes/Habranthus (sp?), Fairy Lilies, Surprise Lilies, etc. are other names & they are part of the amaryllis family.

If you are up North, I do know someone that will over winter hers in the garage & they do fine.

Mikey, sounds like you need to get more

It was really weird to see the bog plants at HD that one year. They were professionally tagged & all the plants were in the 2.5" black square pots (not the boxed plants). They were sitting in some water in a little patio pond & that was the only HD that had them. Didn't see them carried again the next year either. Maybe a special order that year.

Thanks for all the comments.

Kittyzee · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2011, 04:51:19 AM »

I love those flowers Kat! I thought for a minute I might have some,,,they clump up like grass and have those little flowers. But I think mine are 'snow drops' and they come up in very early spring/late winter. They also have bulbs, but look a lot like your pic of them up against the fence. And they don't take a lot of water either.

Indiana Karen · « **Reply #7 on:** June 05, 2011, 01:25:06 PM »

That's a nice collection! I got some of these in a plant trade this spring. There were seven little bulbs in a sandwich bag, labeled fairy lilies. The directions said to plant them in a pot, and bring them into the garage or basement for the winter and that they would multiply. They sprouted up really quick...............I'm anxious for them to bloom.

Mikey · « **Reply #8 on:** June 05, 2011, 02:53:46 PM »

The rain lilies I have are Zephyranthes robustus and Z. 'Sulphurea'. Robustus is pink and it blooms well for me. After flowering I turn off the emitter and let it dry out and then in a few weeks I turn the emitter back on and I get more blooms. I have to trick the little guys into thinking its raining...

Z. 'Sulphurea' is yellow as implied by its name but it just does not like me because it seldom blooms for me....

Here is a photo of Z. robustus in bloom

Jerry · « **Reply #9 on:** June 05, 2011, 09:12:18 PM »

Mike: Did you buy it in a nursery? if so I can find then too!

Mikey · « **Reply #10 on:** June 06, 2011, 12:36:08 AM »

If I recall correctly Jerry I got them from an Armstrong's Garden Center that was closing. They were practically giving them away.

Kat · « **Reply #11 on:** June 06, 2011, 03:22:46 AM »

Mikey--citrina rain lilies bloom better. Interesting you found yours at a nursery & that is interesting to let them dry out for a couple weeks to trick them into blooming with rewatering.

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2011, 09:37:50 AM »

I got my first rain lilies from Kat! Very delicate wispy flowers and green waxy leaves. I love all the colors you've collected.

One thing I didn't know is that you can plant them in the ground. I always thought they were bog plants. Guess I can plant them then. More room for other plants in bog!

Mikey · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2011, 12:42:57 PM »

Quote

Interesting you found yours at a nursery & that is interesting to let them dry out for a couple weeks to trick them into blooming with rewatering.

I read that somewhere, possibly doing a Google search, but it seems to work. Several of them bloomed about a month ago and they are now going through a drought....

magoo · « **Reply #14 on:** June 08, 2011, 11:00:45 PM »

It was a big mistake looking at this thread. I just realized one is not enough. Uh Oh.

greenthumbnails · « **Reply #15 on:** June 09, 2011, 04:51:48 AM »

Quote from: magoo on June 08, 2011, 11:00:45 PM

It was a big mistake looking at this thread. I just realized one is not enough. Uh Oh.

My sentiments exactly...

Now we are all in trouble

Kat · « **Reply #16 on:** June 09, 2011, 02:24:39 PM »

A Habranthus bloomed today & some big seed pods developing from the pale pink large rain lilies.

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #17 on:** June 09, 2011, 04:00:53 PM »

Have you planted any seeds from your rain lilies?

Kat · « **Reply #18 on:** June 09, 2011, 04:56:38 PM »

Annette, the rain lilies with these seed pods are brand new for me, so these are the first seed pods I've gotten. I'll collect them & sprout them in containers that I can take in for the winter. My understanding is that the seeds need to be planted right away for best results. I've managed to grow some seeds from my citrina rain lilies.

Kat · « **Reply #19 on:** June 14, 2011, 08:58:01 AM »

Katherinae seedling that seller said it had red parents. Hmmm, pretty, but not red

Indiana Karen · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2011, 06:00:39 PM »

Mine bloomed today.............I like it...........so does Rimmy!

Mikey · « **Reply #21 on:** June 21, 2011, 10:42:26 AM »

Cute photo Karen!

This pot was so dry that even some weeds growing in it had died, so I turned the irrigation emitter to this pot on again about a week ago. This morning I noticed a new flower popping up.

I'll continue allowing it to receive water for another week or two to see if more blooms will appear and if not I will dry it out again for a few weeks before watering again.

Jerry · « **Reply #22 on:** June 21, 2011, 10:44:04 AM »

Mike, any suggestions where to plant mine, The pots are fine. I have 10 to 15 coming.

Mikey · « **Reply #23 on:** June 21, 2011, 04:57:00 PM »

I'm no expert Jerry but if you put some in the ground I suggest putting them up front in the border where they can be seen and placing a marker next to them so you remember where they are when they go dormant. I keep mine in pots because I can control the watering schedule which has proved successful in making them bloom several times during the spring and summer. I have had no success with the yellow variety.

Kat · « **Reply #24 on:** June 21, 2011, 05:26:55 PM »

Sweet pup pic with the pink rain lilies

Mike, that is clever of you to have your irrigation set up where you can control how much water.

I've found that unless you've got mass plantings of the rain lilies, they can be overlooked. Please keep the pics coming.

greenthumbnails · « **Reply #25 on:** June 21, 2011, 07:29:51 PM »

Something keeps eating my rainlilles in the pond. I am pretty sure that it is a large caterpillar, but cannot find it anywhere. It is the same thing eating my horsetail reed . I found a HUGE caterpillar borrowed into the stalk of the reeds and hanging out at the base of the reeds. The rain lillies on land are pest free with the lava rocks on top. Maybe the critters don't like to crawl over the lava rocks.

Kat · « **Reply #26 on:** June 26, 2011, 07:23:44 AM »

This is the first year I've had caterpillars eating my rain lilies. My Pink Beauty seed pod got eaten

Dan, your rain lily might be of the habranthus family as the bloom is at an angle.

More rain lilies.

magoo · « **Reply #27 on:** June 27, 2011, 12:56:30 PM »

Kat,

I found the tag from my rain lily.

Z. grandiflora 'Pink Rain Lily'.

Kat · « **Reply #28 on:** July 14, 2011, 07:52:40 AM »

Rose Perfection

Jerry · « **Reply #29 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:44:48 AM »

Mine are in the greenhous and coming up just fine.
Thanks Kat!