Orange Spider Lily (Lycoris sanguinea)

Late-Summer Fire

The Lycoris sanguinea is often called the Orange Spider Lily, and for good reason — these bright orange blooms burst into color in late summer just when most flowers in your garden are fading. They really work best in zones 5b–7a because they need a good winter freeze to help them prepare for the next growing season.

How They Bloom

Orange Spider Lily bulbs bloom differently than most flowers. These bulbs need one to two years after they are planted before presenting blooms. Your bulbs are developing a strong root system right now to support future foliage and eventually blooms. You should see the foliage February through May, but don’t be concerned if you don’t. Most people still expect to see something growing during the summer months. You won’t see anything — these bulbs are dormant in the summer.

After one to two years, the flowers suddenly appear with the first late summer and early fall rains. One day there is nothing growing and then suddenly you have a surprise, a fully blooming flower! This bulb acts very similarly to red spider lilies, yellow spider lilies, and schoolhouse lilies. Simply put, they bloom in the fall, have foliage for the winter, and are dormant during the summer.

The Importance of Foliage

The Orange Spider Lily’s strap-shaped, long foliage will look great by itself in the spring or mixed in with spring blooms. The foliage is what allows the bulb to grow and multiply. Many people get very concerned if they don’t see the bloom the first year and believe that maybe the bulb isn’t any good. A good rule for perennial bulbs: if the bulb is firm when you plant it, it is healthy and will eventually come up.

The foliage will grow during the spring months, February through May, so be sure to plant the bulbs where they will receive at least six or more hours of winter sun. Even if the foliage gets hit by a winter cold snap, it will have taken in nutrients for months! Always allow the foliage to die down naturally and don’t cut it off. If you cut it, you are killing the bulb. Once the foliage is completely dead, which is usually around the middle of May, this area can be mowed.

The Bloom

When talking about late-summer color, these orange blooms catch your eye. In late summer, each bulb sends up a twelve- to sixteen-inch stem that holds several blooms. Each naked stem pops up out of the ground almost overnight. The orange petals are slightly reflexed, displaying the yellow stamens within. The blooms will appear late August or early September on a naked stalk like the other Lycoris.

It may take one to two years before the blooms appear, but the show it produces in late summer is unparalleled. Once established in your garden they are there for a lifetime! These blooms need water. They respond to the late summer rains well, but if there is a hard drought, be sure to begin watering the area around the beginning of July to help the bulbs have enough energy to bloom.

Sun Requirements

The single most important thing about landscaping with Lycoris is the sun. They need at least six or more hours of winter sun — about six to eight hours of sunlight during the winter months. They do great with full winter sun. Because they are dormant during the summer, the amount of summer sun doesn’t usually matter; however, Lycoris sanguinea will keep some of their color better if they get some afternoon shade during their blooming time in August and September.

Lycoris put on their foliage during the winter (February through May) and that is when it takes in the nutrients it needs to produce the blooms. The winter foliage soaks up sun energy as it prepares for summer dormancy. The foliage normally dies down around May.

Planting

Don’t plant the bulb too deep. You will plant the bulbs two to three times deep the height of the bulb — so if your bulb is one inch tall, then you will plant it two to three inches deep. Because they bloom on a naked stalk, they look better when planted in groups. You can plant the bulbs close together (two to four inches apart) to make the blooms look more natural or spread the bulbs out and allow six to eight inches in between each bulb.

Lycoris bulbs really do well in any type of soil except full clay. They thrive in soil that has plenty of organic material mixed in but they do not require fertilizer. After planting the bulbs, water the soil thoroughly. Standing water is not good. Once the summer season starts these bulbs will do best in soil that dries out a bit, as this facilitates its entry into the dormant stage. Too much moisture in the soil will lead to the bulbs rotting.

Companion Bulbs

There are an assortment of perennial flower bulbs that go well with Lycoris blooms. When the bloom appears in late August or early September, it will look great with rain lilies and other spider lilies. The foliage makes a great backdrop for spring bloomers like narcissus, jonquils, campernelles, twin sisters, and snowflakes.

Fun Facts

Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are all attracted to the Orange Spider Lily — making it a wonderful pollinator plant for the late-summer garden.

The word sanguinea is Latin for “blood-red” or “bloody,” commonly used in science to describe organisms with a reddish hue. It’s pronounced san-GWIN-ee-uh — emphasis on the second syllable.

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Hardy in Zones 5b–7a

Bloom Season: Late August – September

Sun: 6+ hours of winter sun; afternoon shade helps preserve bloom color