Ever wonder what plant just popped up in your yard or a landscape of another resident? Some gardeners have and recently contacted me about a flower that appears as a red ball of color. Actually it is made up of many flowers arranged in a sphere for spring garden displays. You might see some foliage growth but most of the broad green leaves come later.
What gardeners are seeing is the blood lily. It is sort of one of our forgotten bulbs that appears each spring. You do have to plant them but you may have forgotten they were in your yard from last year or maybe they were just added a year ago. They grow in any well-drained soil in sun to filtered sun. Blood lilies seem to like filtered sun or morning sun and afternoon filtered sun the best.
Only a little maintenance is needed to keep blood lilies growing. Make sure the soil is moist when they are growing and apply a slow release fertilizer in March, May and August. If you want, a light mulch can be added to the surface of the soil to help reduce weeds and extend the time between waterings.
Blood lilies last through summer and then decline in late fall. The plants begin growth in late April or May. At first you see the blooms and then the foliage. There are few pests and most of the plants grow with little additional care.
So now you know. You may be growing the blood lily or may wish to add this bulb to your landscape for late spring color.
