Lycoris in sun or shade

Sun or Shade - I have seen a few species in bloom in the
wild in a few locations and many in bloom in cultivation.
Most species are found only in shade, but your definition of
shade 'depends' . They are common in woodland edges where they may
get a brief exposure to full sun, others are in open deciduous
woodlands. In both cases their foliage would be in more sun when the
foliage is active and their bloom in shade due to their growth cycle.
I grow most of mine in some shade.
Some Lycoris tolerate a LOT of sun, but it is climate
dependant. Remember foliage is ONLY present in times of the year when
sun is at 'low power' fall, early spring or winter.

Bulbs DO NOT want summer baking, but some can tolerate it to
some degree.

and incidentally. Every species I have seen growing wild in China has
been in a very mild climate. 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.

Sterile/Fertile the two most common Lycoris L. squamigera and
L. radiata are represented in cultivation by sterile triploid forms.
They (rarely) never produce viable seeds . These are very vigorous
and tolerate a wide variety of climates.
Here in the midwest masses of L. squamigera are common. In milder
climates L. radiata (ssp radiata) are even more common and often
considered agricultural weeds. They clog rice terraces in places and
I have seen heaps of small bulbs tossed aside in weeding.

Other species are very fertile and produce voluminous seed-
L. longituba, L. chinensis., L. sprengeri. Seeds are large, rounded
like small peas. Seeds germinate well, but are slow to reach blooming
size. They are also very interfertile and form hybrid swarms from
yellow to white, orange pink and peach shades. It makes ID very
confusing. I have self sown seedlings in the garden from various
species.

Price I never understand this, but they all seem to be
coming more and more specialty bulbs. They do have an odd life cycle
which means the best time to divide, move, replant is from June to
August with little root drying in the process. Bulbs submitted to
Dutch regimes of summer digging, drying and holding until Oct sales
are severely stressed and often are extremely slow to recover and
resume bloom. Although the genus contains at least 25 species and
numerous ssp and countless hybrids, few are common in commerce.
Misidentification is extremely common. The best deal is to buy them
direct from a specialty grower who knows how to handle them or potted
for minimal disturbance.

US versus UK Most Chinese Lycoris (most Lycoris) come from
the continental climates of E and Central China. They do best in
continental climates of E and Central US. The UK has a far more
moderate climate without either summer or winter extremes. I'd think
some of the Japanese species would do well there.
Some species are quite hardy easily growing unprotected in
parts of Zone 4 in the US.

Critique L. squamigera is a near perfect
garden subject for the midwest (at least). Totally hardy in Zone 5,
with essentially no pests or diseases and blooms heavily in a time
when few other plants are in flower. With a collection of various
species and hybrids, bloom season can extend for 6 or more weeks. If
it has any faults it is the voluminous foliage in spring, but that
soon disappears and can be over planted with a variety of other
summer growing plants.

Drop me a private email and I'll send you a few pix of
recently blooming species and hybrids. jwaddick@kc.rr.com.

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 +