August Lilies

[roseycheeks]

I planted some August lilies in my Iris bed and last summer they came up tall and beautiful, this summer they grew to about 3 or 4 inches and are blooming now. Can anyone tell me why they are so short? They had lots of leaves this spring, could it have been the unusually dry summer we have had?

[tomc]

My resurection lili's are about the same 18-24" tall.

AKA Nekkid ladies. In Athens OH at any rate.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, lots of stuff getting pretty stunted by hot dry weather....

[roseycheeks]

Simply amazing! How a plant can grow into something beautiful even in the hottest part of summer, here is my one and only August Lily. This spring there were a lot of leaves and she alone popped up, isn't she gorgeous!

[rainbowgardener]

So August lily is just another one of the names for naked lady? (aka resurrection lily, aka surprise lily)

[roseycheeks]

I think so, they seem to have a lot of different names, well they certainly lived up to one of them the surprise lily, I was looking at the one and noticed ANOTHER ONE had popped up! I swear I looked real good the other day and there was no sign of any more, and then pow up comes another one! I don't think I will EVER understand plants as long as I live! Another instance of life's mysteries.

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, surprise lily for sure. They make those long, strap like leaves in the spring and then the whole thing just disappears. (You never really even see shrivelled leaves lying around, just poof, gone.) Then there is no sign of the plant for at least three months. Then after you have completely forgotten it used to be there, all of a sudden the flower spike pops up. And it goes from poking out of the ground to 18" tall and in full bloom almost overnight (well in about four days anyway). No wonder another one of its names is magic lily!

[roseycheeks]

Magic is the right name for them!