On July 29, I looked out the dining room window and saw five Mystic Lily stalks. Later, when I went outside I found more.
I call them Mystic Lilies because that is what Tom's dad called them. He gave me a dozen bulbs shortly after we moved in this house over fifty years ago. The bulbs multiplied, I gave some to friends and still they multiplied. Just the kind of flower I like. Plant them and they will take care of themselves.
On July 31, the first blooms appeared.
They grow tall, taller than the birdbath.
Just this year I learned their Latin name, Lycoris squamigera. They are in the amaryllis family.
In the spring, the leaves come up, straplike leaves, densely packed, and over a foot high. They die back and completely disappear. But spirit-like, the flowers rise in late July or early August.
There are a lot of common names for them, Resurrection Lilies, Surprise Lilies, Naked Ladies. Take your pick. I will always call them Mystic Lilies.
