Asked on Oct 21, 2013
What is this and what should I do with it?
by
Heather
+62
It looks like over the summer I had a few of these pop up in my side yard in the most awkward places. I have a feeling there was a bulb planted in this location at some point, but it is taking over my bushes. We are about to relandscape the side yard in two weeks and I have no idea what sort of plant this is and what to do with it.
The plant has not flowered at all over the summer and showed up sometime after June. Currently, they are sitting in a full shade location. It would be nice to move them because I have plenty of full shade areas they would work well in.
The plant has not flowered at all over the summer and showed up sometime after June. Currently, they are sitting in a full shade location. It would be nice to move them because I have plenty of full shade areas they would work well in.
54 answers
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Not sure looks like some kind of Allium. There are so many species. Some are hard to ID with out a flower. Maybe if you replanted in a area that has more sun it will bloom for you. Lack of blooms could also be caused by over crowding.
Therese Ryan-Haas
on Oct 21, 2013
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It looks like some type of lily to me. I'm not sure
Alice Harley-Wosnig
on Oct 21, 2013
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My spider lily looks like your plant. It propogates itself very fast. The flowers are pretty but only last one day. The leaves look very much like an amaryllis but the flowers are not like the amaryllis.
Sherrie S
on Oct 21, 2013
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Looks like a lily to me ......some of mine don't bloom either. Perhaps needs more sun.
Tammy Slavin
on Oct 21, 2013
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Pretty sure that is a tiger lily, They spread quite quickly and do need a fair amount of sunshine to blossom. You can try and dig it up roots and all and move them to a better location. Maybe a spot in the sun where you would like it to fill in some. :)
Karen Hart
on Oct 21, 2013
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I have ginger that looks like that.
Bethar
on Oct 21, 2013
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My first thought was Lilly of the Nile which sometimes takes a while to "like" it's home before it blooms. But I also have crazy spider lilies that just pop up everywhere like that, some bloom, some don't.
Patti Nicholas
on Oct 21, 2013
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It looks like a daylily.
Fran Barrett
on Oct 21, 2013
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It is a type of lily I think it is called criumim ( spelling may be wrong ) will come back every year when it flowers a tall stalk will have several large pink or pink and white lily shaped flowers. It will do better in the sun,just plant water well and they will produce lots of bulbs and beautiful flowers.
Glenda Thompson
on Oct 21, 2013
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It also looks similar to an amaryllis which of course everyone associates with Christmas. However, if you plant it where it will get good sun and drainage, it will continue to bloom come early summer for years.
Mary
on Oct 21, 2013
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Milk and wine lily.
JP S
on Oct 21, 2013
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Thanks everyone! It was so strange how they popped up so quickly and in the middle of my bushes. I'll plan to replant over in our sunny flower bed to see how they do
Heather
on Oct 21, 2013
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Looks like a variety of crinium lily to me. But I'm no expert! :)
Liz Holland
on Oct 21, 2013
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It looks just like my perenial day lily plant. They come back every year. Actually very pretty when in bloom. Hope this helps.
Jane Burkhart
on Oct 22, 2013
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Crinum for sure...tough, drought resistant, can freeze to ground and come back strong in spring. A real keeper!
Suzanne
on Oct 22, 2013
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It's a crinum lily. Some are called "milk and wine lily" if they are the one with flowers that are mostly white with a maroon stripe. Milk and wine lilies don't bloom very often. Crinum's that bloom more frequently have all white or all pale pink flowers. Has your's ever bloomed? What color was the flower?
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 22, 2013
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Heather, if you choose to move this lily, be aware that the bulb is usually very large and very deep. Sometimes 12" deep. Don't damage the bulb when digging. Dig at least a foot away from the plant to make sure. After digging, replant at the same level. Moving a crinum lily will usually delay future blooming by a few years.
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 22, 2013
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This is a good time of year to move bulbs. Crinum's prefer part shade /part sun, not full dense shade. Describing levels of shade however can be very tough to do with words.
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 22, 2013
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Crinums also tend to like rain and moist conditions so I think that explains why it suddenly "showed up". We had a very rainy summer. Had lots of crinums back home in New Orleans, LA where it rains nearly every day and the soil is always moist due to poor drainage.
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 22, 2013
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... but poor drainage in that alluvial soil is different than poor drainage in Georgia red clay which could rot the bulb.
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 22, 2013
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I believe my neighbor a gardener stated that mine that look just like this are indeed a lily day liliy and i moved my as they popped up everywhere but I have many struggling for room around a areally boggy area that I leave all in different greens. It took mine almost 2 ytears to bloom once I moved them but now they all coming do not last long but pretty as they pop up a different times. Mine are yellow and white two kinds
Jean McKay
on Oct 22, 2013
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I have the birds and the squirrels and cute little chip monks to thank for adding to my flowers beds.
Jan
on Oct 23, 2013
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That sure does look like a lilly to me. I think they are called an Amarilla lilly. Expensive Flower at a Nursery. .
Jo Dee Bradley
on Oct 23, 2013
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It is indeed a lilly. I'm not sure what type it is, but it is a Lilly.
Jacinth Barnett
on Oct 23, 2013
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It kind of looks to me like a pregnant onion plant. Does it have an above ground bulb? Are there little baby bulbs attached to the sides?
Barbara
on Oct 23, 2013
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UPDATE: Last night I decided to move two of the clusters to a place in our backyard where they will get more sun and help free up the two bushes they took over. I made sure to dig really deep to pull these bulbs out and you were all right, they were TOUGH to unplant! Each cluster had about 7-8 bulbs. During the process I may have accidentally hit two. Do you think these can still be saved? (picture attached). The rest are replanted and will hopefully thrive in their new location. I still need to find a location for the third cluster, but that should not be too hard
Heather
on Oct 24, 2013
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No. Sorry. If you plant these they will just rot and cause disease for others. Glad the others survived!
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 24, 2013
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This all brings back such memories! My grandmother's most cherished plant was her milk-and-wine-lily. It was even published in the local newspaper when it bloomed. My mom "Lily" inherited it. When in college, I decided to landscape the front yard and move it. Thus my first lesson in what you've just experienced. Mom was very upset!!! That was nearly 40 years ago. Have had lots of experience with lilies since over this long career.
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Danna Cain, ASLA
on Oct 24, 2013
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These lillies are quite resilient, so you can only know if you plant them
Jacinth Barnett
on Oct 24, 2013
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It looks like my day lilies. Mine do well in either sun or part shade.
Marilyn
on Oct 31, 2013
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They look like it's an Amarilla lily or a relative, but not a day lily because day lily's only have leaves on two sides of the stem at least all the ones I have seen and they have tubes not bulbs..
Louise Perkins
on Oct 31, 2013
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looks like a type of swamp lily, i have white n pink in my yard they smell awesome
Kat Davis-Moran
on Nov 03, 2013
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Hi, I agree with the pregnant onion comment. I have mine in an old pot (about a foot across) with a bail on it and hung it where it could get morning sun and shade in the heat of the day. It is about 4 feet off the ground and the long green leaves are almost touching the ground now. It has flowers like an onion sometimes, and constantly with "babies" all over the place.
Dogmomma
on Nov 04, 2013
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I had one just like this that I thought was some kind of decorative grass BUT I soon found the most beautiful purple lily on it. I had mowed it down several times before discovering that it was an iris.
Patricia Freeman
on Mar 06, 2014
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My bet is on amaryllis or lily. Leaning more toward amaryllis.
Lisa Damoff
on Mar 06, 2014
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I agree that it looks very much like an amaryllis. Some lilies are hard to tell for sure without a bloom. In the Atlanta area, amaryllis love being on the west side (at least mine and many others I have seen do), receiving afternoon sun. Sometimes it takes a year or so to get it to bloom after transplanting. Move it to the west side, keep it lightly watered and see what happens.
Mary
on Mar 07, 2014
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Did you know that lilies walk?Lilies will move until they find a spot they like.I have found lilies growing in the wierdest spots and I know they were not planted there before.Its kind of unique behaviour.
Faye Habing
on Mar 07, 2014
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That is so strange. I am curious to see if the one I left in its original place will come back this spring
Heather
on Mar 07, 2014
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It is a Amaryllis, I have 3 of those planted in corners, very resilient comes back 2/3 x a year with large beautiful flowers.
Diane
on Mar 08, 2014
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it looks like a lilly , I had one that cropped up in between my iris's. the stalk gets tall so I had to stake it from toppling over , beautiful pink striped flower, and nice fragrance .
Susan Davis
on Mar 09, 2014
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No it is not Amaryllis, it has white flowers and that too with fragrance .In fact I love it
Rama Tyagi
on Mar 09, 2014
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Definitively, it is a lilly. Those are perennials and grow children and grandchildren for bunches. Some of them blooms in spring, others in summer lasting until late fall. You just have to wait until blooms to identify it but if it came to your yard unexpectedly, more likely is a wild one, very common in orange color, taller than other lilies and less fancy but always great in your garden.
Claudia
on Mar 09, 2014
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I have lilies in my yard and thought that's what it was as soon as I saw the picture. I love the orange lilies, but, also have yellow and pink.
Cynthia H
on Aug 17, 2014
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Could possibly be a Crinum. Either way, it will bloom better if it's moved to a sunnier location.
Shanna C
on Aug 18, 2014
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I believe it is a lily problem is they are so many different varieties hard to say which one this is.
Bethar
on Aug 19, 2014
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It may be a lily we older folks call "milk and wine"...similar in shape to an amaryllis, but the flower is ivory/cream with burgandy /purple stripes on the veins and inside . They will grow most anywhere ,but I like to move them to the edge of ditches,etc...places you don't mow often...best to cut the foliage after it dies back each season,as with daffodils.
Sharon
on Sep 02, 2014
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there are about 180 types of crinum lilies / bulbs. This looks like one that has always been called a ginger lilly in my family. I have several and all in different lighting and soils. The ones that bloom the best are in well drained soil in places that get protection from hot evening sun and even moisture. The bulb on some of mine are almost 18 inches deep and can easily weigh 5 pounds a piece with lots of little bulblettes growing off of them. They tend to surprise you when they do bloom because they send up a stalk like an amaryllis and burst into bloom with multiple trumpets on a single stalk that need protection from the wind.
Genna Scartaccini
on Sep 02, 2014
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Gonna is right, and some types grow deeper than others, very very deep hard to dig up.
Pam
on Oct 13, 2014
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Needs full sun...lily with a unique bloom.
Stacey Gregory
on Dec 22, 2014
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It is certainly a lily, those flowers can grow anywhere.
Charlda W
on Dec 23, 2014
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Lily of the nile or pink lady?
Mary Kinder
on Sep 03, 2016
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Agapantha ?
Mary Kinder
on Sep 03, 2016
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This is a crimium. It is a type of lily. It needs early morning light. There are probably multiple bulbs. They multiply this way. You see them around old homes because they were popular years ago. They only only bloom once a year but they are a part of american history.
Stephanie corley
on Sep 03, 2016
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It looks like a criminal lily. http://plantcaretoday.com/growing-care-crinum...
Sidney Rippy McLaughlin
on Sep 03, 2016
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