Item Tag: rain lily

DESCRIPTION OF ITEM FOR BID: You are bidding on 2 bulbs in mixed sizes, not necessarily a blooming size. Regardless of size, it usually takes only a year or two to reach a blooming size. They will be shipped bare root and should be planted right away. DESCRIPTION: Habranthus Argentina Pink is most likely a species bulb, possibly a form of H. robustus. As of the time of this listing, to the best of our knowledge, we are the only distributor of this bulb in the world. It opens pink with white centers and white rays radiating out about halfway in each petal and a yellow-green eye. By the second day they fade to a light pink. The flowers are large trumpets about 3 ” in diameter, 8-10″ tall and form bulbs up to 1 1/2″ in diameter. The bulbs multiply very fast like most H. robustus varieties and can quickly make spectacular mass plantings, because they form both seeds and new offsets bulbs. It’s possible to have a large number of bulbs in just 4-5 years. Our original, single bulb produced 100 bulbs in the first 3 years, not counting the seeds. We have recorded blooms from May through July here in northeast Florida, zone 9 but have not kept very good records on this particular bulb. We suspect it could bloom more like H. robustus from April-November. We are offering this for the first time on eBay in 2017. Rain lilies bloom about 4 days after a rain. Blooms are stimulated by the nitrogen, which is created by lightning, and picked up in the raindrops. In 2014 we started a small hybridization effort which by early 2017 has produced seeds from over 150 successful crosses and about an equal number of failures. Some seedlings did not survive, but we still have over 100 crosses growing and many of the seedlings from the same cross are exhibiting different markings and characteristics because each seed is unique genetically. We plan to continue this in the hope of introducing some of our own hybrids in a few more years. Currently we grow about 400 different rain lilies, including 261 zephyranthes, 31 habranthus and 3 zephbranthus (cross of zephyranthes and habranthus), and our new hybrids. We are actively seeking new species or hybrids to purchase or trade to increase our collection and can provide a list of our collection upon request. Our listings have free shipping. The two leading nurseries that sell rain lilies charge from $17 to $23 just for shipping one selection in addition to the cost of the plant. BACKGROUND: Habranthus ‘Argentina Pink’ is most likely a species and a form of H. robustus. We purchased 1 bulb in from a grower, Michael Willetts who managed a small operation called bulbmania.com, so all of these bulbs came from the original bulbs offsets or from seed. The only information we have about this bulb is that it originated in Argentina. Willetts specialized in seeking out rare and unusual bulbs and introducing them back into circulation. We bought a number of crinum and rain lilies from him about the same time. The primary difference between Zephyranthes and Habranthus is that the Habranthus bloom is at an angle to the stem and the Zephyranthes bloom, more or less, points straight up from the stem. GROWING CONDITIONS: Rain lily bulbs generally will grow in a wide variety of soils and will do fine in any garden setting with an average amount of water. A few varieties require much more water. They thrive in rich soil with ample water and full sun. We grow all of ours in the hot Florida sun, but generally they will do better with a bit of shade during the hottest part of the day. Plants require less care if planted in the ground, but rain lilies, especially, make excellent container plants. Most varieties form seeds and a few do not form offset bulbs reproducing only from seed. Growing them in pots helps in keeping the seeds out of adjacent plants. Most rain lilies will do better if they are pot-bound or growing in crowded conditions. If left alone, they will form dense clumps. Most rain lilies require 2-3 years to reach a blooming size from seed. A few, like Z. minima, can bloom in 1 year and others can take 4 or more years. They are usually evergreen in frost-free climates and many varieties keep their leaves even during sub-freezing temperatures. Here in the colder part of zone 9 with temperatures rarely below the 20’s, they keep their foliage. It is not uncommon for some varieties to lose all of their leaves in very dry weather and a few have a dormant period where the leaves disappear for 2-3 months. They are easy to grow in pots in any climate but they must be protected from freezing temperatures. If they are stored over the winter, the pots can be allowed to dry somewhat but should not go completely dry. Do not remove the bulbs from the pots or ground more than a few weeks, however, as rain lily bulbs do not store well when they are dry out of the soil. Otherwise they are very vigorous and tolerant of more dry conditions too when planted in the ground and will do fine in zone 7b-10. PHOTOS/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: These are pictures of our plants, so you know exactly what they look like and what you will receive. The photos show the plant in various stages of growth. Please feel free to contact us for additional information, and click on “Me” following our star rating. Also, we invite you to go to our store (little red or blue door) and look at other items we have for sale.