Rain lily
Zephyranthes candida · Amaryllidaceae
Crocus-like white flowers that burst into bloom a few days after a late-summer rain, above tufts of dark, rush-like, evergreen leaves.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid August to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around rain lily
The planner designed this bed around rain lily when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 7, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 977 that suit those conditions, and says below why rain lily stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 11, pink
- 2 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 22, pink
- 3 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 4 Carolina lupine × 3, yellow
- 5 Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' × 1, grey-green leaves
- 6 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 3, tan
- 7 Rain lily × 12, white
- 8 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- At the very front. At 8 in it hides nothing there. It dies back in summer, so it is not what finishes the edge.
- 12 plants in 2 runs (7 and 5). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Fine leaf against bold. Wild quinine is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From mid August to early October.
- Part of the bed's peak. With sedum 'Lidakense', wild quinine and little bluestem 'The Blues' in late August: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- One of three evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (pink) with yellow as the warm note, and white and tan to calm things between them. There is more sedum 'Lidakense' than anything else, 22 plants in all.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where rain lily goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
Flowers come in flushes after rain, from August to October. The neat evergreen tufts make a good edging even out of flower.
- Edging paths in warm climates
- Late-summer flowers
- Moist soil and pond sides
What to plant with rain lily
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lilyturf: in flower together for five weeks, from mid August; tall enough (16 in) to stand behind it.
- Mondo grass: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
- Society garlic: in flower together for six weeks, from mid August; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about rain lily
Does rain lily need sun or shade?
Rain lily grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does rain lily grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does rain lily flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid August to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 7 | Early August to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Early August to early October |
| Zone 9 | Early August to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should rain lily be planted?
4 in (10 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many rain lily plants do I need?
At 4 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 107 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 31 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 343 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used 12 in two groups.
Is rain lily poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat rain lily?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What can I plant to hide rain lily's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
What does rain lily look like in winter?
Rain lily is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 in (10 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid August to early October; open bowls; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Comes from
- South America
- Stands up to
- Drought, wet soil, poor soil
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.