Surprise lily
Lycoris squamigera · Amaryllidaceae
Clusters of fragrant, rose-pink trumpets, tinged with lilac, on bare stems in August. The strap-shaped leaves come up in spring and die away by June.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 8 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early August to late August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around surprise lily
The planner designed this bed around surprise lily when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why surprise lily stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dianthus 'Kahori' × 3, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 15, blue
- 3 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 6 Caucasian scabious 'Fama' × 3, blue
- 7 Surprise lily × 5, pink
- 8 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are open bowls, dense clusters, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for leadwort. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- Near the front. At 24 in it is seen over dianthus 'Kahori' (8 in) in front of it.
- 5 plants in one handful. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
- Beside leadwort. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early August to late August.
- Fills no gap. Every week it is in flower, at least three other kinds are too. It thickens a season that is already full.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, in late June.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 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 surprise lily goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
Also called naked ladies, because the flowers stand with no leaves. Plant it among cranesbills or daylilies, which hide both the dying spring leaves and the bare stems.
- A surprise in late summer
- Among low groundcover and perennials
- Old-fashioned gardens
What to plant with surprise lily
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daylily: in flower together for two weeks, from early August; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Lady's mantle: flowers first, late May to early July, so the spot is never empty; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Leadwort: in flower together for four weeks, from early August; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about surprise lily
Does surprise lily need sun or shade?
Surprise 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 ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does surprise lily grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does surprise lily flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early August to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Early August to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early August to late August |
| Zone 7 | Late July to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Late July to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Mid July to early August |
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 surprise lily be planted?
6 in (15 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 in (20 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many surprise lily plants do I need?
At 6 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 48 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 21 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 153 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is surprise lily poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. The bulbs cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat surprise lily?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What can I plant to hide surprise 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:
- Daylily: 2½ ft tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower late June to early August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, 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.
What does surprise lily look like in winter?
Surprise 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.
Is surprise lily good for bees and butterflies?
Surprise lily is visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
More Lycoris
- Red spider lily Lycoris radiata
In these guides
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: August
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 8 in (20 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 in (15 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early August to late August; trumpets; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Comes from
- Southeast China, Korea, and Japan
- Attracts
- Butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought
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.