This is one of the great wildflower blooms of the South American tropics. Even the Florida Everglades has a species of white "Spider Lily." They're famous for their very strong sweet fragrance, they grow quickly, and they make a wonderful show in the garden or in a vase. From a gardener who’s grown it: "I decided to grow the Peruvian Daffodil for myself. I'm glad I did! Of course I was amazed by the beauty and fragrance of this flower, but I was also amazed by how fast it grew once I planted the bulb. In a few days, the new growth broke the surface of the soil. In less than two weeks, the bulb produced plenty of healthy leaves and started to send up it's flower stalk.
In less than a month, the first flower bud was in full bloom! The flower stalk produced four flowers that year. As the weather cooled, I stopped watering in preparation for the dormant period. When I pulled the bulbs out of the soil, I was surprised by how many new bulbs that were produced. And the original bulb was larger than when first planted. The largest of the newly formed bulbs was as big as the original when first planted. It produced a flowering stalk the following year."
...from a subscriber at DavesGarden.com, gardening in Cleveland, OH.
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Botanical Name
: Hymenocallis festalis
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Common Name
: Peruvian Daffodil or Spider Lily
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Sun/Shade
: Partial sun to shade
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Advantages
: Grows rapidly and very famous for fragrance
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Zones
: Tender bulb for all zones. When frost threatens, lift bulb for next spring.
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