When they wrote that they'd "forgotten" I believed they meant temporarily. As in "oh, that's right! I planted those and then forgot about them" which is not to say they really forgot, forgot, they just weren't thinking about the Lycoris radiata they'd planted because they can take up to two years to bloom after planting, and they don't always bloom every year. One site I consulted playfully hinted aliens from another planet controlled their bloom cycles just to torment earthbound gardeners.
I looked at their photos of Lycoris in bloom in their posts and remembered I'd seen bulbs for sale when I made my last major nursery buyout. I think I commented on both sites about how I wished I had picked some up. Shortly after that my daughter pointed out more bulbs for sale at the big box hardware store where I (almost) always resist buying plants because who knows where they came from? I agreed they were striking as we passed them by.
I had "passed-that-plant-up-regret". Big time.
Then as I went out to pick up Saturday's mail, you'll probably guess what I spotted out in a front bed close to our mailbox. Yup. Lycoris radiata. I planted them and then forgot about them. And I do mean FORGOT. ALL ABOUT THEM. As in completely, totally, if you'd insisted to me I'd already planted some, I'd call you a liar to your face. (not really, I wasn't raised that way)
I can only hope Bambi took a bite or two and didn't like them enough to eat any more. Ever. I hustled to get a couple of shots of the rest of the blooms just in case. Now I'm trying to decide whether to leave them where they are or to try and move them inside the fence after their blooms fade*. (*But before I forget. Again.)
10 comments:
Such beautiful flowers! I can't be any help on transplanting of the spider lilies, as I don't have any in my garden. However, I think it is time to change that, since by the looks of your pictures, they are must-haves for my new garden beds. A couple years ago I planted daffodils and hyacinths in my deer-prone areas, thinking they would be "deer resistant" as marketed. Nope. I only got one bloom that the deer forgot to nibble on. This fall, I'll definitely be planting my spring bulbs where they won't become the meal of the local deer.
Rebecca, I feel your pain. Once a season blooms are too special to function as deer chow. I really rely mostly on native bulbs now, the spider lilies are remnants of an era when I was simply led by my eyes around the nursery. But they are gorgeous...
What a great surprise! The deer are just reminding you to be Zen.. "All material things are transitory" (until you move them to another spot!).
They may well be deer resistant. It could be rabbits. I'm having a horrible time this year with them eating plants. If you move them, you will forget them again as most of these lillies hate to be disturbed. It may take several year to see blooms again. Yours do look stunning right now though.
They really are easy to forget about since they take so long to bloom after planting -- or transplanting, which is my advice for you. Bob's deer may not have a taste for bulbs, but mine sure do. A couple years ago, after hearing Bob say the deer leave his oxblood lilies alone, I planted a few bunches out front. I soon learned that my deer like 'em just fine. Even with deer repellant on the flowers, the deer will sometimes nip their blossoms off, and then nibble their stems for good measure, making it hard for the plant to store up energy for next fall.
So it doesn't surprise me at all that your deer find your spider lilies to be snackable. Just save yourself the heartbreak and move them this fall, once they stop blooming. They're very easy to transplant, but of course they will make you wait a while before blooming again. I'm sure you'll have forgotten you even planted them by then. :-)
Forgetting you planted something - that's great. I guess I had too few plants to have done that!
THGM: Ha! I am just about the opposite of Zen when it comes to deer and flowers. I stood in my driveway for nearly a half hour glaring at a grazing group of deer munching its its way through some lawn and weeds across the street yesterday.
Bob: I hadn't thought of rabbits. I'm sorry to hear they're giving you troubles. I understand they are really tough to combat. I catch the deer out grazing on our front beds pretty consistently but haven't seen rabbits here in the burbs. Yet.
So far....only the first two blooms were bitten off. Maybe it was a younger deer who doesn't recognize what is good until after they've tried it (would that my OWN kids had been such adventurous eaters!).
Pam: I am going to leave them where they are while they finish blooming and if the deer leave the rest of the blooms alone, then I might give them another season in that spot.
If I notice return snacking deer damage I have a bed out back where I've got other bulbs already going. If I keep bulbs mostly in one bed I'm less likely to accidentally dig them up. I'm also hoping they'll multiply to good effect in this smaller area.
DryHeat: Just recently I've focused on a limited number and type of plants, but for years I went nuts at the nursery, buying one or more of anything that caught my eye.
Honestly there were times I'd get home with flats of 4 inch pots and not recognize or remember the name of some exotic plant I'd bought that didn't have a plastic ID stick because I'd gotten 15 different things after reading 48 different labels.
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