Naked Ladies



Naked ladies in February
 about half the size of their early growth



One of my favorite passalong plants is the naked lady.  When our new pastor (one of those moving Methodists) came by the church bazaar and chatted,  I told him he had some pretty naked ladies in his yard.  I don't think he quite understood.  I think he might prefer to call them by their other name, resurrection lily. 

These beautiful pink flowers come up in early spring as luxuriant foliage with no sign of a blossom.  Then they die totally away and emerge in  mid summer as rather tall unadorned stems with those pretty pink blossoms at the top.  They seem to emerge almost overnight.  No foliage, therefore naked ladies.  Or if you prefer, they come back after dying, therefore resurrection lilies. 

These flowers have rather large bulbs.  They can be moved at any time, but be careful not to disturb the soil too much or they might skip a year as bloomers.  The bulbs tend to multiply about as much as daffodils.  They really would prefer a touch of shade and some moisture so they won't break their necks trying to break through  hard ground in the summer. 

Incidentally, the little red spider lily that blooms later in the summer has the naked lady type bare stem.