Lycoris in sun or shade

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:49:16 PDT
Jim Waddick raises some good points in his discussion of Lycoris in the
wild. In particular, I'm intrigued by "The bulbs were essentially at the 
surface in very damp sites. Year round wet sites. Even in cold 
climate the bulbs grow very shallowly. They benefit from year round 
watering."

Everyone who has grown Lycoris squamigera knows that it can be unpredictable
about blooming. Many of us have often wondered why. 

Anyone who has much experience with garden peonies knows that they require
shallow planting - the growth buds should be within an inch or two of the
surface. Failure to ensure that means lusty plants with no flowers. 

Now I wonder if the same might be true of Lycoris squamigera. 

Could shallow planting be one key to abundant flowering in climates like
this one where the plants otherwise seem very much at home? 

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I'm now considering
giving my Lycoris a lift.  



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