No matter what you call it—Spider Lily, Hurricane Lily, Surprise Lily or Naked Lady—this Lycoris species is a fall blooming bulb often overlooked in the landscape.
Perfect for sunny borders and rock gardens, the lily likes fertile, well-drained soil and is deer and rodent resistant. Plant the bulbs in summer and be surprised come fall and a good rain when 8-inch wide flowers develop on 18-24 inch tall leafless stalks.
After flowering, foliage develops and stays green through winter and into late spring. Legend says the lily has historic ties to North Carolina when Navy Captain William Roberts brought them back from Japan to his New Bern garden, where they slowly spread across the U.S.