We all know that flowers are a great way to add some color and life to your garden, but sometimes it can be hard to decide which type of flower is right for you.
If you’re looking for something unique and eye-catching, then Naked ladies flowers might just do the trick. These exotic plants have vibrant colors and unusual forms that will add an exciting element to any garden design.
Naked lady flowers come in a variety of different sizes and colors so you’ll find one that’s perfect for your yard or patio. They also make beautiful cut flowers if you want them indoors during the colder months. Plus they’re easy to grow with little maintenance required after planting.
About Naked Lady Flowers
Naked ladies are not really lilies at all. They are actually Amaryllis flowers, more specifically two types of amaryllis flowers known as Amaryllis belladonna and Amaryllis paradisicola.
Amaryllis is a genus containing about 70 different species. These beautiful blooms have existed for thousands of years but have only recently begun to gain widespread popularity in the United States.
Depending on the variety, these types of naked lady flowers can bloom from late winter to early summer, but most will start showing up in late February through March.
They come in shades of reds and oranges, and some feature multiple colors or speckles make them even more interesting to look at.
Amaryllis flowers are often referred to as “naked ladies” because the blooms are hollow and resemble a ballerina skirt, making them look like they’re dancing. Naked lady flowers are popular in home gardens but also make stunning arrangements for the holiday table or mantlepiece.
Types of Naked Lady Flowers
#1. Jersey Lily
The Jersey Lily, also known as the belladonna lily, is a flowering plant that is primarily endemic to South Africa. It sports an unusual bulbous shape with long and narrow leaves.
The plant sheds all its foliage in warm climates and produces trumpet-shaped flowers during this time. These flowers can fetch up to 10 cm long but are usually smaller in size. They grow in clusters of 2 to 12 blooms borne on completely leafless stems which gives them their “naked lady” appearance.
To propagate these types of naked ladies flower, you must divide the bulb’s outer scales every 2-3 years around autumn so they have sufficient time to recover before winter sets in. You can take cuttings of any healthy plant and make your reproduction within 2-3 months before replanting them.
These flowers can measure up to 10 centimeters long and grow in clusters of 2 to 12 blooms borne on completely leafless stems.
The bulbs of these naked ladies flowers can tolerate drought conditions and are a common sight in South Africa where they are used as decorative plants.
In case you’re looking for an exotic plant that isn’t too difficult to care for, then the amaryllis might be perfect for you. These types of naked lady flowers make a great conversation piece and will definitely draw attention from your guests.
#2. Surprise Lily
The Surprise Lily, also known as the Magic Lily, is a flowering plant that is native to South Africa. It is also part of the amaryllis family and sports an unusual bulbous shape with long and narrow leaves.
Surprise lilies need most of the season’s sun to be able to flourish, so the best place for them is in a sunny area. They can grow about 10 inches high and 12 inches wide, but they are often shorter than that. The soil should be well-drained, but it should also retain some moisture on occasion.
Watering should happen mostly during spring and summer, although you still do not want it to dry out completely. During the winter months, watering can be done less frequently as these plants go dormant by then anyway. From time to time you may want to fertilize your plant every couple of weeks with a balanced fertilizer or one which has less nitrogen than phosphorus or potassium content (the latter two are more important).
Surprise lilies do need a lot of maintenance, as they require regular watering to flourish well, otherwise, their bulbs may rot. This decision makes them better suited to those with greenhouses or as outdoor plants for gardeners who don’t mind spending hours caring for their plants. They can survive extended periods underwater and will bloom shortly afterward.
In fact, it is one of the few flowering plants that will survive being submerged up to its neck in water during wintertime where temperatures fall below the freezing point for many days in a row. It has even been known for these plants to flower whilst still underwater. The plant requires certain conditions to grow properly, however, such as a temperature of 15°C (59°F) at night with a day time temperature at roughly 20°C (68°F).
The surprise lily can be distinguished from other members of the amaryllis family by its long and narrow leaves which do not form a skirt around the stem or bulb. It also has no outer bracts. Surprising, isn’t it?
#3. Red Spider Lily
The Red Spider Lily is a perennial plant that belongs to the spiderwort family. It is native to Southeast Asia where it can be found growing in China, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. This species blooms in late summer or early fall with bright red flowers that are shaped like funnels.
The flower of this plant does not have petals but has long stamens instead which give it its unique look. The leaves of the Red Spider Lily are very striking with pale stripes on bright green foliage. They also have thread-like filaments at their margins on each leaf’s side’s upper edge that resemble tiny hairs while beneath them are broad whitish bands across both surfaces of the leaves that gives it its distinctive appearance. The Red Spider Lily thrives in full or partial sun and can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 11.
This type of flower is found worldwide and there are many different varieties of this flower that you can choose from. As such, each variety has specific characteristics as well as the proper amount of sunlight that they need for them to bloom successfully. If you want to grow these flowers in your garden, it is best if you acquire a few types first so that you can see which one will fit your preference and needs.
#4. Easter Lily
The Easter Lily is known to be the most popular of all Easter flowers.
These lilies are native to Japan but today they can be grown throughout North America and they attract attention due to their extremely fragrant white blooms that cover them in Springtime.
The pure white flower color distinguishes it from other species.
The Easter lily is a spring flower that can grow up to 3 feet tall and bloom from early summer into the end of June or July, depending on its variety. This makes them perfect for use in Easter holiday decorations, which is believed to be the reason why this type of lilies is associated with Easter.
These beautiful flowers are also recognized by their trumpet shape and distinctive speckled marks on both the inside and outside surfaces of their petals.
The leaves are shiny green, long, narrow, and strap-shaped. They may appear either between or after blooming but they last only until the first hard frost in autumn at which point they will die back to the ground for winter dormancy.
Partially hidden beneath their foliage are one or more large spherical bulbs that can weigh up to 4 pounds apiece when fully grown. These are planted in the fall so that they can become fully dormant before being exposed to warm temperatures in spring.
#5. March Lily
The March lily (Leucojum vernum) is a perennial bulb, native to central and southern Europe. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family and has been introduced in North America, where it’s very popular. This lily produces wonderful flowers in spring.
This plant can reach a height of 8″–9″, but it generally remains smaller when grown outdoors in temperate areas. In mild climates or when grown indoors, these plants can grow much larger- up to 18″. They have excellent ornamental value and the plants are often used in decorative displays both inside and outside homes during their flowering season from February through April. These plants produce fragrant flowers that vary from white to pinkish yellow to greenish-yellow, depending on the variety.
Their leaves are grass-like and sword-shaped. The bulbs are egg-shaped and large, while their roots are fibrous. March lily grows well in partial shade or full sun conditions under moist to average soil conditions with good drainage. It’s very easy to grow this plant from seed but you can also buy starter plants during early spring for planting them outdoors closer to summer flowering time. This type of naked lady lily is drought tolerant and mostly prefers dry areas.
This type of flower will perform well only if the soil is well-draining. They don’t like it wet all the time, nor do they appreciate standing water around their roots after heavy rain which can cause them to rot.
The soil must be well-drained but also fertile and slightly acidic. They do best in neutral to slightly alkaline soils pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. In temperate regions, the plant is dormant from autumn till early spring when it produces a flower spike that bears star-shaped white flowers with greenish-yellow throats. The rest of the year the foliage remains untouched by growth or flowering activity which helps give rise to its common name “naked lady”.
From February to April, the plant produces dense clusters of bell-shaped flowers that can vary in color. The shade of these inflorescences ranges from baby blue (pale blue) through white (with some greenish tinge) to pale pink (with a yellowish throat) and pale green.
They have excellent ornamental value and the plants are often used in decorative displays both inside and outside homes during their flowering season from February through April. This plant is often associated with Easter, due to its flowers appearing at that time of year. The foliage appears before the flower stalk grows, giving it a “naked” look when not in bloom that earned it one of its common names:
In temperate areas like Connecticut or North Carolina, this type of lily blooms in early summer (around June).
The leaves appear after the flowers and remain all through winter until mid-spring; while preparing for another flowering cycle. Each flower only lasts about four days but new buds continue to appear from the base of the old flowers.
These bulbs have a relatively small number of seeds and they usually grow in dense groups, producing an impressive look.
#6. Amaryllis Paradisicola
Native to South Africa, the amaryllis paradisicola is a bulbous perennial that is hardly found in home gardens.
It is the second of the two subgroups in the amaryllis family, the other being amaryllis belladonna itself.
It is considered to be an endangered species due to the damage caused by baboons.
These types of naked lady flowers grow in a ring-like cluster of ten to twenty blooms which are initially purplish-pink in color but can become darker as they mature.
Naked ladies plants form their distinctive name from their stems being completely free of all floral leaves and bracts right up until the time of flowering when only some six leaves appear on the flower stalks.
A group of half a dozen blooms will be carried on each stem, with some flowers opening at first while others follow later on. Try to arrange the stems in an interesting manner by allowing them to curve over and down. This way they look like little six-petaled, pink stars all clustered together creating a lovely effect.
These amazing plants are easy-care houseplants that truly offer up an astonishing beauty sure to create a conversation with family and friends. If you want something simple yet stunningly beautiful, then these ladies just might become your favorite type of naked lady flowers for many years ahead.
