Surprise lilies. Hurricane lilies. Naked ladies. Spider lilies. Equinox flowers. Plants in the genus Lycoris sure have a LOT of different common names! These interesting and attention-grabbing names (naked ladies?) come from the plants’ many unusual characteristics. Lycoris are blooming in my garden right now, and I love them for sending off the gardening year with a colorful bang. They are a big, diverse group, but they all have something in common: After sitting hidden underground as bulbs all summer, the flowers shoot up in the fall seemingly out of nowhere. The long, strappy leaves follow after the blooms either later in the fall or the next spring. That odd growth habit means they mix well with other plants that are actively growing during the summer, and their unusual bloom time makes them the perfect antidote to a garden that feels tired and worn after a long, hot summer.

Lycoris radiata (Zones 6–10) has bright red, spidery flowers on the end of long stems and is a classic heirloom plant in the South, where its extreme vigor and resistance to pests and disease means that old plantings persist for years, bringing beauty at the end of each summer.

Lycoris radiata pumila (Zones 5–10) is a slightly shorter and, in my experience, hardier version of the same plant, growing for years for me in Zone 5 in Michigan. For maximal winter hardiness, be sure to plant in the spring or early summer so the plants can root in and get well established before their first winter.

Lycoris shaanxiensis (Zones 7–10) has the same spidery flowers but in a soft yellow. Also, they bloom a little earlier.

Lycoris longituba (Zones 5–8) can have white, pale pink, or yellow flowers. It is one of the hardier species, suitable for colder climates.

This form of Lycoris longituba has a faint creamy-yellow color. Visible just behind it is the bright gold Lycoris chinensis (Zones 5–8).

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

If you want to send photos in separate emails to the GPOD email box that is just fine.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

You don’t have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.

Buy at Amazon

Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Featuring gorgeous photography and advice for landscapers, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can nourish in our cities and suburbs.

Buy at Amazon

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Doug Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.

Buy at Amazon