Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Surprise Lily
Lycoris squamigera
Bare, leafless stalks push up overnight in late summer and open rose-pink flowers washed with lilac.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–9
18–24 in · 46–61 cm
Overview
Surprise lily shows two entirely different faces through the year. In spring it puts up strap-shaped leaves, long flat green blades that look like any other bulb's foliage. By early summer those blades yellow and wither away to nothing. Weeks later, smooth leafless stalks rise straight from bare soil in August and open flowers of rose-pink almost overnight. That empty-then-flowering trick is why it is also called resurrection lily, magic lily, and naked ladies.
Below ground sits the bulb, the heart of a perennial in the amaryllis family hardy across zones 5 to 9. The bulb and its foliage take heat, cold to -20°F (-29°C), and most pests and diseases without visible harm. Every part of the plant is poisonous, and the bulb most of all, so it holds its place in beds and borders rather than ground where pets or children dig.
The whole cycle plays out with almost no help. The bulbs go into the soil at the right depth in fall, the spring blades yellow and collapse on their own, and the clumps thicken underground and flower for decades. What you see above ground swings between bare earth and sudden pink.
Care
The short version: set it in full sun to part shade in rich, well-drained soil. Water it while the green blades are up and again as the bare stalks rise, keep the bulb dry through its summer rest, and split thickened clumps every few years.
Light
It opens the most flowers in full sun, though it still performs in partial shade. Strong light drives the green spring blades, and the energy those blades gather is what later fills the bare stalks with pink.
Water
Water it through spring while the strap-shaped blades are green and growing, then again as the bare stalks push up in late summer. Once the foliage yellows and dies back in early summer, keep the bulb on the dry side through its rest. In active growth the watering falls around every 7 to 14 days.
Soil
It roots into rich, well-drained soil, taking to loam, silt, or sand alike. The pH can run anywhere from 6.0 to 8.0 without trouble, so most ground suits the bulb as long as water drains through.
Temperature
This bulb is remarkably hardy underground. It comes through winter cold to -20°F (-29°C) and summer heat to 100°F (38°C), the range that carries it across zones 5 to 9.
Humidity
Air moisture is not a concern, since ordinary outdoor air is enough. Sharp drainage around the bulb counts for far more than anything in the air.
Feeding
Feed in spring while the green blades are up, using a balanced bulb fertilizer as the foliage grows. That green stretch is when the bulb swells with the energy it will spend on flowers later.
Pruning
Cut away the bare flower stalks once the pink fades, but leave the strappy leaves standing until they yellow and flatten on their own. Trimming the green blades early drains the bulb and costs the next set of flowers.
Repotting
The bulb prefers to sit undisturbed and slowly multiply. Lift and split a clump only every 4 to 5 years, or sooner when the mass grows crowded and throws fewer flowers.
Size & spacing
Each bare stalk stands about 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm) tall, with the clump spreading to match. Set the bulbs 6 to 8 inches apart so the underground mass has room to widen.
When to plant
The plant's odd calendar is written in its two forms. The bulbs go in during early fall, the strappy blades appear and then fade through spring, and the leafless pink stalks break the surface in late summer once the foliage is long gone.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bulbs in early fall, 5 to 6 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart.
- Harvest: August to September
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Very little goes wrong with this bulb, and the two things people notice both show up in plain sight. One is bare stalks that never break the surface. The other is green blades yellowing early. The first calls for a look underground, the second is simply the foliage running its course, so match what you see below.
Green blades fill in but no bare stalks rise
When the strappy leaves come in fine but no stalks break the surface, the bulbs usually sit too deep or the clump has grown too tight underground. Lift a clump after the blades die back to see the depth and crowding, then divide it and reset the offsets 5 to 6 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart. Bulbs moved recently may need a season or two below ground before they flower.
Fix:
- Divide and replant offsets at 5 to 6 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart
- Allow recently moved bulbs a season or two to settle before expecting bloom
Green spring blades yellowing and withering by early summer
The yellowing is the plant on schedule, not in decline. The strap-shaped blades green up in spring, yellow and wither by early summer, and weeks later the bare stalks rise on their own. Let the fading leaves lie until they dry out completely, since the bulb pulls their energy down as they go.
Fix:
- Leave the dying foliage in place until it withers completely so the bulb can store energy
Toxicity
Behind the soft pink flowers, the whole plant is poisonous to animals and to people. The strappy leaves, the bare stalks, and above all the bulb hold lycorine and related alkaloids that bring on drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea if eaten. None of it is food, so plant it out of reach of pets and children and wash your hands after handling the bulbs.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Toxic
One bite of any part leaves a cat drooling hard, with vomiting close behind, often alongside diarrhea and a sore belly. The bulb concentrates the most lycorine, so a bulb pulled from the soil is the real danger.
Dogs Toxic
A dog that digs up and bites into a bulb suffers most. The signs are drooling, vomiting again and again, loose stools, and a dog gone quiet and off its food.
Horses Toxic
The same alkaloids strike horses hard. A grazing horse that takes down foliage or a bulb can drool, colic, and scour, so set the planting well back from any pasture.
Rabbits Toxic
The strappy leaves and stalks are no place for a rabbit to nibble. Even a small bite starts drooling and a painful, upset gut, and the bulb is far more poisonous still.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep all take harm from the plant's lycorine. Expect drooling, vomiting where the animal can, and diarrhea, with bulbs turned up by tilling the greatest danger.
Birds Toxic
The whole plant is unsafe for a bird to touch. Bulb and foliage alike hold the toxic alkaloids that sicken every other animal, so pecking at any part is a real risk.
People Caution
None of this plant can be eaten, and its bulb is the most poisonous piece. Swallowing any leaves a person drooling, vomiting, and dealing with diarrhea, so keep it well out of the reach of children.
Store bulbs out of reach of pets and children and wash hands after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
The plant grown in gardens is the straight species, and its flower color alone sets it apart from a red-flowered relative.
Lycoris squamigera (species)
This garden species carries rose-pink flowers washed with lilac on smooth bare stalks in late summer, a soft coloring that sets it clearly apart from the fire-red red spider lily, Lycoris radiata.
How to propagate
Seed is almost never the route here. Underground the bulb splits off small copies of itself, so lifting a clump and separating those offsets is all it takes to make more.
Offsets & pupsEasy
After foliage dies back in early summer or after flowering in late summer · 1 to 2 years to bloom after transplanting
Underground the bulb buds off daughter bulbs quickly, so the easiest increase is to lift a clump and break the offsets free by hand. Do it after the blades die back in early summer or once the pink flowers finish in late summer, and split crowded clumps every 4 to 5 years. Those replanted offsets need 1 to 2 years below ground before they flower.
DivisionEasy
When bulbs are dormant after foliage dies in early summer · 1 to 2 years to bloom
Lift and divide a crowded clump while the bulbs sit dormant underground, after the blades die in early summer. Reset the offsets 5 to 6 inches deep and give them a year or two before the stalks appear.
SeedDemanding
Rarely used · Several years
Raising it from seed is rarely worth it and takes several years to build a bulb that can flower. Splitting the offset bulbs is the standard route and reaches bloom far sooner.
Myths
Surprise lily makes a reliable potted houseplant you can force to bloom indoors.
In truth it is a cold-hardy outdoor bulb for zones 5 to 9, not a windowsill plant. Its roots reach deep and wide beneath the bulb, so a pot rarely holds it unless that pot runs very large and deep. Sink the bulb into open ground and let the seasons draw it out.