Dear Friends, This is the first week of Lycoris season. They are the stars of not just my garden, but all around the neighborhood. L. squamigera is a very common "Legacy Bulb'. The Pink Naked Ladies or Surprise Lilies can be seen flowering by the hundreds in rows along sidewalks and lawn edges. Their sudden appearance and shocking pink color delight everyone. In my garden the start of Lycoris season is usually heralded by L. sanguinea, a Japanese species. This year it is blooming with the first run of L. squamigera, L. longituba, L. chinensis and their hybrids followed by the slightly later appearance of L. sprengeri. Some of the L. longituba appear in the flava form or in various shades of yellow and other hybrids in pinker/lilac tones. I suspect our extended drought has pushed the start of bloom season together and thus the explosion of so many that are usually spread out over a wider time frame. A recent wind storm knocked down some flower stalks. I cut these off and put them in a vase where they make surprisingly long lasting cut flowers. If you do this use a wide bottom vase because stem bottoms split and curl to fill the space. I have hundreds of flowers from the front garden to back and side to side. A GLORIOUS site. On a much smaller display I have single stem of Lilium formosanum in bloom. The drought did a number. Only one bulb in bloom and only about 4-5 ft tall as opposed to its more typical 6 to 8 ft. Only 3 buds opening as opposed to typically twice or more in number. And the 2 inches of rain has initiated Rain lilies- Zephyranthes- Z. candida, Z. grandiflora, Z. reginae although others are expected. A couple potted Crinum americanum are in bloom this week, too. A small species, but a welcome sight. The best for last - One clump of Lycoris longituba produced a single flower with double petals last year. This year that same clump has gone slightly berserk. One flower has an amazing 24 petals - quadruple the typical -with a matching number of anthers. Another bulb has produced a double flower with 12 petals and anthers and there are a couple other double or multi-petal flowers. I have posted pix on Facebook and will try to get some on the wiki soon, too. I am not sure if they are attractive or just shockingly strange. I have self pollinated the multipetal forms, but seed takes so long to bloom. This year I had a few of my own seedlings blooming for the first time. An exciting week in Kansas City. Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +