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RE: Spider Lilies or Naked Ladies?


This is what the Time Life Encyclopedia has to say.

H. narcissiflora (spider lily, Peruvian daffodil, basket flower)

                                       The fragrant, 3- to 4-inch,
intricately designed flowers of these plants are borne
                                       along one side at the top of 18-
to 24-inch-tall leafless stalks in midsummer. Their
                                       straplike leaves grow up to 2
feet long and may be deciduous or evergreen,
                                       depending upon the species. The
most common species, H. narcissiflora, has
                                       white blossoms with green
stripes.

                                       HOW TO GROW. Spider lilies
survive winters outdoors in Zones 8-10. They do
                                       best in full sun or very light
shade in a soil enriched with well-rotted or dried cow
                                       manure. Plant the bulbs outdoors
in spring or fall, spacing them 12 to 15 inches
                                       apart and covering them with 3 to
5 inches of soil. From Zone 7 north, plant the
                                       bulbs in spring after night
temperatures average above 60°; just before frost, dig
                                       up the bulbs and put them in a
well-ventilated shady place on their sides until the
                                       leaves wither; cut off the leaves
and store the bulbs upside down over winter in
                                       dry vermiculite, perlite or peat
moss at 65° to 70°. In Zones 8-10 dig up and
                                       divide the bulbs in spring every
four or five years.

                                       To grow spider lilies in
containers, plant in fall or spring in the mixture
                                       recommended for Hyacinthus. Keep
moist and feed monthly with a standard
                                       house-plant fertilizer from
spring to fall. Move the plants outdoors when night
                                       temperatures average above 60°.
Over the winter, keep the plants in a
                                       well-lighted frost-free place and
water them just enough to prevent the foliage
                                       from wilting.

I also have heard of them described as "Naked Ladies"

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Chavez, Tim A [SMTP:Tim.Chavez@Wichita.BOEING.com]
> Sent:	Friday, August 14, 1998 3:19 PM
> To:	'Seeds List-Propagation'
> Subject:	Spider Lilies or Naked Ladies?
> 
> A friend recently deflected my admiration for his Spider Lilies and
> claimed emphatically that they are called naked ladies. Is it possible
> this plant has both common names, or do I need to learn which is
> which?
> And what is the Latin name in case I want to look them up and order
> them? Having never heard of that common name which recently popped up
> in
> discussion here, I am wondering who can tell me more. I m intrigued by
> these bulbs ability to pop up out of nowhere and put on a head of
> flowers, then vanish. 
> 
> > Tim Chavez  
> z6 Wichita Kansas
> 
> ___________________________________________
> 
> 
> > Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.



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