I have seen Lycoris squamigera occasionally in gardens here. Colchicums are standard fare, many garden centers have them on display right now. Suspect quantities being offered, which appear to be falling off at some outlets is due to price increases getting to point where they are thought to be a turnoff. Last place I looked at some, where they had a small bowl of several (coming into bloom) they were over 3 dollars each.

Showiest individual blooms by far, other than colchicum those given by Amaryllis belladonna. This likes a hot spot. Nerine bowdenii has small flowers with narrow petals but is a comparatively good doer and conspicuous in quantity. Both amaryllis and nerines I have bought locally have turned out to be mixed shades, apparently grown from seed. Specialists do offer named forms of specific characteristics.

Lycoris squamigera, Nerine bowdenii, and Colchicum do well for me here in Portland, but they won't bloom unless they get full sun on the foliage.

Amaryllis belladonna is very popular in the SF bay area, and is said to be hardy to 10F. I just planted some in Portland last fall. They didn't like the 18F freeze we had last winter; the leaves turned to mush, and the bulbs have done nothing but make roots ever since.

I've had the overwintering leaves burned a little once but not killed, unless I'm not remembering it right. Portland area is generally colder than up here (Seattle orbit). Losing the foliage completely would certainly ruin the plant's whole day. No leaves, no energy for flowering stored in bulbs.

Well, I was thinking it would be nice to find something else adapted to our climate but having foliage growing early that is not fully hardy would make it not that adapted. I guess I'll stick to bulbs with a longer flowering season. I'm partial to Narcissus, species tulips, and Muscari.

hemnancy, the Amaryllis is the only one that lost its foliage. I think it's not as cold-hardy as the Lycoris squamigera, which it closely resembles. The Lycoris foliage will get burnt-looking during a cold spell, but will then recover. Colchicums don't have a problem, since they don't have foliage in the winter. But they do have big funky-looking foliage for several months in spring.

Sunset WESTERN GARDEN BOOK rates Amaryllis belladonna Sunset Zone 4:

"Where temperatures stay above 15F/-9C, keep tops of bulb necks at or slightly above ground level. In cold-winter areas, choose a protected southern exposure and set bulbs slightly below ground level"

Lycoris radiata, L. sanguinea and L. sprengeri it also indicates being hardy to Sunset 4. L. squamigera gets a Sunset 2. For all Lycoris it says

"Grow in a sunny site that can stay dry during summer dormancy. (In areas of summer rainfall, grow in pots that can be protected from moisture.)"

Many bulbs have this same requirement for months of dryness, the development of the bulb in the first place often being an adaptation to a climate or site where the conditions are unsuitable for maintaining a complete plant body with leaves for much of the year. Tulips, for instance, are native to deserts where it is mostly too dry or too cold for them to be above the ground anytime except spring.

My colchicums do fine, I started with a few bulbs three years ago, and I'm looking at them and thinking it's about time to dig them up and spread them around a bit.