I adore plants that grow from bulbs, even if they are technically from a bulb, a tuber, or a rhizome. They are generally low-maintenance and long-lived. I fell in love with these plants after seeing my great-grandmother’s daffodils bloom and multiply year after year.
In fact, her daffodils and other bulb plants are still going strong forty-plus years after her death. Some of my favorite bulbs bloom in fall. Spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) shoot up from the ground and are a piece of art designed to attract bees.
Oxblood lilies (Rhodophiala bifida) are a darker red, but are just as exciting to see. My great-grandmother still has a few naked ladies (Nerine Bowdenii) popping up after all this time. And I am always delighted to see rain lilies, whether they are the white (Zephyranthes candida), the pink (Zephyranthes grandiflora) or the miniature copper-colored ones (Habranthus tubispathus va.
texensis). Of course, bulb plants also bloom in summer, such as the white Texas spider lily (Hymenocallis liriosme). ‘Casa Blanca’ is one of my favorite oriental lilies.
Tiger lilies are exciting to see opening in summer. So, too, is the tall Formosa lily. Of course, while not a true lily, daylilies are popular because they are so reliable.
Bulbs are most predominant in spring, and now is a good time to order spring-flowering bulbs before suppliers run out. Daffodils, muscari, leucojum, irises, and hardy amaryllis should return year after year. Other bulbs may not be as reliable, but a.