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Now is the best time to plant lycoris bulbs, available at Lavalette along with the favorite spring-flowering bulbs like tulips, hyacinth and daffodils.
A cluster of surprise lilies makes a striking accent anywhere. Many gardeners like to interplant surprise lilies among perennials or at the back of a border. Like other members of the amaryllis family, it is often grown as a potted plant. Surprise lily is a vigorous and long-lived plant that requires no care at all.
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Featured Plant:
Lycoris squamigera is one of the many plants whose Latin name is seldom used because its common name is so descriptive. In this case, there are several common names -- surprise lily, magic lily, resurrection lily, spider lily and naked lady.
The leaves appear in spring, each about 1 foot long and an inch wide, flopping over from the base. By early summer their attractiveness diminishes as they wither away. In mid- to late summer, lycoris flower stalks spring out of the ground practically overnight, earning them the deserved nickname of “surprise lilies.” The 2-foot stems are topped with a cluster of fragrant lilac pink flowers. 
Surprise lilies thrive in clay soil. While they grows best in full sun, they tolerate partial shade. The plant is cold-hardy and produces large bulbs that multiply quickly. 