• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

The Rain Lilies Are Blooming

September 14, 2008 By Carol Michel 10 Comments

The last four weeks have been as dry as any four weeks that I can remember for quite some time. Well, at least since last summer’s moderate drought.

It was so dry that until this evening, the last time I had to got to mow the lawn was four weeks ago, on August 15th.

But now the rain has returned, the rain lilies are blooming, and the grass has recovered, so I’m back to in the mowing business, having just mowed for the 32nd time this season. That’s still six more times than at this time last year!

These rain lilies (Zephyranthes) aren’t winter hardy here in USDA hardiness zone 5, so I grow them in pots on my front porch. There the only “rain” they get is from me watering them. In spite of that, they really do bloom best when it has recently rained. How do they know? It must be the humidity.

Once it gets frosty cold, I’ll move the pots of rain lilies into the garage, where it never quite freezes but can get cold, and forget about them until spring. Then when spring arrives, I’ll bring them back out and start watering.

Every few years, I dig the bulbs out of the pots and repot them in new soil. I always end up with extra bulbs when I do this, which are nice to passalong to others.

Someone left me a comment the other day asking about what to do with rain lily bulbs they had recently purchased, since they are also in zone 5. I assume the bulbs have been in a package all spring and summer, so I would probably pot them up right now and get them growing, even if I had to bring them inside for awhile to grow a bit longer. Then I’d gradually taper off watering and let them go dormant until spring.

Anyone have any other ideas?

*****

I’m glad these rain lilies are blooming because the other affect of the last four weeks of dry weather has been a reduced amount of bloom around here.

But that isn’t going to keep me from posting about what little bloom I have on the 15th for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. I hope YOU will also join me in sharing what you have in bloom, regardless of what kind of weather you’ve had, and I know many garden bloggers have had quite challenging weather this summer.

It’s been hot and dry in many places like Texas and Oklahoma. Here in Indiana we had a very wet June and July followed by a month of virtually no rain. And those along the gulf coast have been hammered with hurricanes.

In spite of it all, I’m sure there are still blooms in most gardens, maybe not a lot of blooms, but blooms none the less. Whether your blooms are all dried up or sopping wet, please share them with us on the 15th by posting about them on your blog and then leaving a comment on my bloom day post so we can find you and come visit to see your blooms.

All are welcome to participate, whether for the first time or the twentieth time, which is how many times you will have posted if you have participated since the first bloom day on February 15th, 2007. Someone check my math!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: bulbs

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. growingagardenindavis says

    September 14, 2008 at 3:36 am

    Oh…pretty pink rain lilies! Annie has those too…I’ve only found white ones which I did buy…they bloomed a few weeks ago…they weren’t very exciting. Yours are lovely!

    Reply
  2. Meems says

    September 14, 2008 at 3:43 am

    Hi Carol, I just love your blushing pink rain lilies. Mine just stay in the ground all year and bloom in the spring then throughout the summer. They are hardy little pretties. I keep meaning to try some in pots too. I've noticed the same thing about the rain working better than irrigation… and Lord knows we have plenty of humidity for them.
    Meems @Hoe&Shovel

    Reply
  3. Gina says

    September 14, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Carol – those are so pretty! I’ve never even heard of “rain lilies”. Every time I think I’m about to get a hold on this gardening thing I realize I don’t know crap, really.

    Reply
  4. compost in my shoe says

    September 14, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    My garden is full of white flowers from Zephyranthes candida, August rain lily is in full bloom. We have had a bunch of rain and they just love it!

    Reply
  5. Dave says

    September 14, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    It sure is nice to be able to mow more this year isn’t it? I’m not sure I mowed but once in August. I’m glad the rain has returned. It sounds like a good plan you have for the lilies. They are very nice, what is their hardiness zone?

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    September 14, 2008 at 5:24 pm

    I was looking forward to this GBBD thinking that after a good drenching from Ike, a lot of flowers would burst forth in fall ecstacy. Oh, well.

    As for the rainlilies, they prefer to go completely dry (parched) between waterings. Then when they get water they think, “This is it. Better go for it.” That attitude comes from their native land. Lots of dry and then a flood. If you keep them moderately watered all the time, they don’t equate it with the drenching downpour that brings them out.

    Reply
  7. WiseAcre says

    September 14, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    I’m not sure what to think about someone who keeps count of the number of times the lawn was mowed. You must either love or hate it 🙂

    I’m tempted every time someone posts photos of tender bulbs. Good thing age has brought me some wisdom. I know I’m too lazy and/or forgetful to take care of them. It’s so much easier enjoying them vicariously – thanks.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    September 14, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    I’ve moved too many times in the last couple of years to keep up with all the mowing times. I’ve also lived in 4 different states. In all, I’ve lived in 15 different states. I would have to say that since being back in my home state, this is the most hot and dry I’ve ever experienced. I bet we didn’t mow 5 times in all. Your lily is really pretty and looks worth the effort.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    September 14, 2008 at 11:15 pm

    Those Rain Lillies are glorious Carol. I keep meaning to order some of those…:) See you on GBBD tomorrow.

    Reply
  10. lisa says

    September 17, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    I checked my “Bloom Day” tags, and I have 20! I’ve been present for all of them (late, but present)…yay! 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT