Explosion of oxblood lilies and datura
I vamoosed from the Texas heat last week for the drier, cooler, high-desert climate of Santa Fe. It was a great trip, but the whole time I was away I fretted that I was missing one of my late-summer favorites at home: the eruption of oxblood lilies that pop up virtually overnight following a late-summer rain. I dashed outside as soon as we returned and saw dozens of blazing red trumpets clustered amid the soap aloes. Perfect timing!
Oxblood lily (Rhodophiala bifida) is an Argentine bulb that thrives in Austin’s hot, humid subtropical climate. It lies dormant all summer until the days grow shorter and a triggering rain arrives, and then boom! — there they are.
Like the Texas bluebonnet, they are small in stature but pack a punch when massed together.
You can increase your bulb count by digging them up and dividing them in late fall or winter, after they’ve bloomed but before the green leaves (which sprout later) disappear. I never think to divide mine, however. They’re now growing under spiny aloe arms, so that also dissuades me. They don’t seem to mind. The trumpets blaze on, year after year. I’m happy to have seen them, these heralds of fall.
Datura has also responded to the rain with its gigantic white trumpets, which unfurl at night to scent the garden in sweetness.
After exploring Georgia O’Keeffe country in New Mexico, the datura, which she painted, reconnects me to that glorious landscape. I’ll have pictures for you soon.
For now I’m luxuriating — as is the garden — in the gradual relenting of summer. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. But it’s a start.
The hummingbirds that visit my garden daily surely appreciate the bounty of reawakened flowers too. We made it through.
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Digging Deeper
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The oxblood lilies and the datura are both beautiful. I keep saying I’m going to get some of the lilies but then I forget. What is the best time to buy them, and when do you plant them?
Now through spring is good for planting them. I sometimes see them in local nurseries like Barton Springs Nursery. But you can perhaps find them online too at places like Southern Bulb Co.
I forgot to ask about the purple plant that the hummingbird is enjoying. What is it?
That’s ‘Amistad’ salvia.
Hi Pam, My spirits lifted as soon as I saw your first photo today! The oxblood lilies against the aloe look absolutely beautiful. I also like your datura around that neat barbed wire (?) sphere. Neat photo of the hummingbird in action. Your garden looks just great!
The hottest of hot weather has finally hit us like a freight train here in La Mesa (San Diego County). Received emergency alert last night to shut off a/c, etc. Your photos give me hope. 🙂
Hang in there, Brenda. I have been watching the CA weather reports, and it sounds awful. Hope you get some relief soon. And thanks for the kind words about my photos. These areas make me happy right now. Other areas of my garden after this summer are kind of depressing — just to keep it real. But there’s always something good to enjoy, and fall is coming!
Thank you. I really appreciate your writings as a fellow Texas gardener. And your yard and gardens are beautiful, btw.
Thank you for your kind compliments, Terri. In the interest of keeping it real, it’s definitely not all looking good right now, due to my neglect this hot summer. But fall is coming, and with it a chance to do all the pruning and weeding I ignored earlier. The garden is forgiving. 🙂
I’m always so inspired by your photos and stories, Pam! I was not familiar with the oxblood lily but will research to see if it might grow here in Bisbee. Thanks for sharing your love of horticulture with us throughout your travels! Happy fall!
Thank you, Heather, and happy (almost) fall to you too! Oxblood lily, also known as schoolhouse lily, is little known outside of Central Texas, I think. German immigrants brought it here in the 1800s from Argentina. You’ll find good info about growing it at the Southern Bulb Co.: https://www.southernbulbs.com/oxblood-lily-or-schoolhouse-lily/
The paint color you chose for the house is absolutely perfect. The agave and salvia are beautiful with such a crisp backdrop.
Thanks, Julie! I’m pretty happy with it. 🙂
It seems like however sad the rest of the garden might be after the ordeal of summer, that there are always one or two plants for which it is time to shine.
That is so true, and no matter how discouraged the weather can make you, it’s always worth it to go looking for what’s shining.
Oxblood Lilies! OMG. What a stunning ‘welcome home’ display. I’d want 100 more of those beauties everywhere.
It’s quite a difference from the giant white datura blooms, amazing in their own right but in a gentler kind of way. I’m looking forward to the Santa Fe post.
Chavli
Thanks, Chavli. More Santa Fe coming up soon!
[…] week I came home from a trip to Santa Fe to find the oxblood lilies up and blazing in the back garden. Yesterday, after a weekend trip to Houston, I found a second round in fiery […]