Tom's Life Bits

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===== Hurricane lilies surprise autumn garden =====

//By Catherine Bollinger//

Hurricane lilies (Lycoris radiata) have been part of Southern gardens since the late 1800s, when they were imported from their native lands in Asia. Some folks call them Red Spider Lilies, and I've heard them called Magic Lilies or Surprise Lilies, but I prefer the name that associates them with our hurricane season.

The bloom stalk appears without leaves, which explains some of their names; it's easy to forget they're there. One early fall day, a sturdy 18- to 24-inch bloom stalk appears topped by a fat reddish bud that opens to reveal a cluster of deep crimson tubular flowers. The long anthers protrude so far that some folks think the flowers resemble big red spiders.

If hurricane rains don't beat them down, the clusters persist about two weeks, signaling migrating hummingbirds to come in for a quick pitstop as they head south. When the flowers finish, straplike shiny green leaves appear, persisting through the winter.

All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the bulbs, which explains why the voles leave them unmolested. Until last year's drought, I had never seen the deer eat the flowers. But that year, the two bulbs that managed to bloom were nipped off before the flower clusters opened.

This year, about a dozen bloom stalks have appeared. Every time I think they're done, the next rain event calls forth another surprise splash of red. I think of them as living fireworks, sent up to celebrate the quenching of our drought.

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