We are fascinated with the wonderful group of zephyranthes (rain lilies). Zephyranthes are unobtrusive, summer-flowering bulbs that can fit in any garden, with a flower range from yellow to white to pink. The great thing about zephyranthes is the lack of large foliage that often accompanies many other spring-flowering bulbs.
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There are zephyranthes that grow in conditions from bogs to deserts, with most having an incredible tolerance to heat. We are thrilled that our butterflies find these a wonderful nectar source summer. Our zephyranthes (rain lily) collection is one of the best in the world, with many of the hard-to-find Mexican species, many older US natives and hybrids, and the groundbreaking rain lily breeding work from Fadjar Marta of Indonesia.
Zephyranthes has the common name rain lily for a good reason...it has the charming habit of sending up new blooms after a summer rain (it would make an excellent rain garden plant). Zephyranthes (rain lilies) are small perennial bulbs that need to be sited in the front of the border, or in a rock garden to be appreciated. When happy, some zephyranthes may produce seed but the offspring are not likely to look exactly like the parent. Consequently, if you have a strict color palette in the garden, you may want to remove the zephyranthes seed heads before they pop open.
Try pairing rain lilies with other small sun-loving perennials like Sisyrinchium, Moraea, Puya, Graptopetalum, Sempervivum and Lycoris.
If you are ready to buy rain lilies for your garden, check our our list of zephyranthes for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
Among my fondest memories growing up is walking through the woods enjoying my favorite North American wildflower combination, atamasco lily and poison ivy. The nearly unnoticeable short, round, green, pencil-thin foliage of atamasco lily appears in early spring, but it's not until mid-April when the 3" wide pure white flowers open on top of 10" stems that you really take notice. After a month, the flowering stops and the foliage goes to sleep for the summer. Zephyranthes atamasca prefers a damp, even boggy, site for best results. Atamasco lily is native from Maryland south to Florida, but our offering is from Guilford County, NC plants. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
It's hard to remember the emotions that ran through my mind when I first saw Zephyranthes 'Heart Throb' in flower, but my guess is, it must have resembled a female's hot flash. This Yucca Do introduction is a Zephyranthes 'Labuffarosea' seedling that's simply hard to describe...but I'll try. Atop 6" stalks from midsummer through fall (after rains) unfurl lovely, 2" unique reddish-pink (that's hard to capture with the camera) flowers with a white eye. The flowers change from dark reddish pink to medium pink on day two, still highlighted by the contrasting white central eye-zone. Zephyranthes 'Heart Throb' isn't fast to multiply, hence the long delay in finally getting this to market, but we hope you'll agree it was worth the wait. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Z. FM #82) To our knowledge, Zephyranthes 'Moulin Rouge' was the first commercially available semi-double rain lily, introduced by Plant Delights in 2006. Zephyranthes 'Moulin Rouge' comes from rain lily breeder extraordinaire, Indonesia's Fadjar Marta. Zephyranthes 'Moulin Rouge' starts flowering for us after each rain in mid-June and continues until early October with 2.5" wide, dark pink flowers that change the second day to rosy-rouge, each with eight petals instead of the normal six...simply amazing! Because of the slow multiplication rate, we can only offer this about every five years. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Z. FM #01) This Zephyranthes 'Krakatau' is a 2007 Plant Delights introduction from Fadjar Marta's fabulous breeding program, that erupts into flower starting in mid-July and continues all summer with 10" tall spikes, each ending in a 2" wide cupped flower of bright reddish-orange. Each flower on this floriferous rain lily is further highlighted with a bright yellow central pattern. On the second day, the flowers change to a peachy color. You'll find Zephyranthes 'Krakatau' quite worthy of its explosive namesake. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
