Oh, I just read that the bulbs need to be dug in the fall and stored over winter like dahlias or cannas? I'm not good at remembering to do that.

Lucky you! I've been looking for rain lilies since last year. :)

Sharon

Sharon, have you tried them before or did you see them growing somewhere last year? I think the hardware store only had two more boxes (I bought only one box). They were on a rack of various boxed Dutch Bulbs.

I have them growing in various places in my yard. They grow in clumps and I divide them periodically. We don't get rainfall in the summer where I live, but they bloom after the sprinklers come on. I have the white variety and I think they are delightful little flowers. They are also know as fairy lilies.

No...I've not tried them before, I just saw an article in a gardening magazine and thought it might be one I'd like to try and so I began asking around for them. I did find one local nursery that said they sometimes carried them, but not in the last year or so. :)

-Sharon

Zephyranthes are hardy in zone 7 and above. Most of them come from areas where it can get very dry, so have adapted to bloom when there is sufficient rain. They typically bloom in August and into the Fall, but can bloom earlier on a sporadic basis. My favorite is Z. 'Labuffarosa', which is also evergreen during mild winters.
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Z. candida (white bloom) is the only rain lily that I know of that actually prefers a moister soil, being native to the banks of the La Plata river in Argentina. It's a great plant for fall blooms. I have mine planted at the base of a pink-flowering shrub rose.

Habranthus is a related species, also sometimes called a rain lily. It behaves in the same way as Zephyranthes. My favorite is Habranthus tubispathus var texensis, with an orange/copper-colored bloom. I also put in Habranthus 'Russell Manning' last Fall, but I've not seen it appear yet, so I don't know if it made it. We had a rough winter here.

They are very popular in New Orleans. I just found this link when I looked for them. I have tried to find them too Sharon and no luck locally. We need to ask for them at the plant sale....I bet some folks have them. c

Here is a link that might be useful: rain lilies

schoolhouse,

I have been purposefully avoiding this topic...not wanting to look at yet another lily that I would like to get.
Yes, I have seen them growing in yards...in Louisiana. Very pretty. The add a cooling element to yards on hot summer days.
Lucky you to find them.

Before you plant them, make a big marker with the notation to dig them up in the fall.

OR mulch them with 8 inches or more of leaves in the fall and cover with a big pot and hope for the best. :)

~Annie

Good idea about the reminder to dig. Thanks. I will do that.
Unfortunately, when I drove to the hardware this morning there was only one box left. I searched the entire rack and so did the clerk, and she didn't say if they would get more bulbs from this company or not. So, I selfishly took the last box and will plant a total of 10 bulbs instead of just five.

I'm very excited about them.

They will be lovely planted en mass.

Oye vey! You were in no way being selfish!
A bargain is a bargain, and you have a good eye for bargains.
That is a blessing, not something to be ashamed of!

~Annie

They are lovely! It is always a celebration in my life when they are in bloom!

I planted them today by the outhouse, in a spot where I can see them from the back door window.

My rain lilies are blooming - finally! I've forgotten who I sent a box to - was it Sharon? Are yours blooming now?

I buy boxes $2.99 eac. With 5 bulbs eac. Mix. One look like this.

I have an azalea pot I grow them in. They have bloomed 4 times this year, usually after a rain. I just bring the pot in and store it in the garage for winter. Occasionally I change the soil. When I bring them out in spring I sift some compost over the top.They get watered every time I water the porch pots, which is daily in the summer.