Zephyranthes roseaPink Rain Lily

Zephyranthes rosea, the Pink Rain Lily, answers rain rather than the calendar. A few days after a soaking, this small bulb of 0.15 to 0.25 metres throws up bright rose-pink crocus-like flowers above narrow grass-like leaves.

Planted in drifts along edges and beneath trees, it turns an irrigation cycle into a flowering event, and it naturalises steadily once left alone.

Specifications

• Height0.15 to 0.25 metres
• Width0.1 to 0.15 metres per bulb, clumping steadily
• Native toGuatemala and the Caribbean, and widely naturalised in the tropics
• FoliageNarrow grass-like dark green leaves in tufts; evergreen in warm climates and dormant in dry or cool periods
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers free-draining ground and tolerates sandy and clay soils
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterLow to moderate; flowers in flushes after rain or irrigation
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions and in warm arid climates with irrigation

Additional Features

• FlowersBright rose-pink crocus-like flowers appearing in flushes a few days after rain, mainly in late summer and autumn
• UsesIdeal for edging, mass bulb drifts under trees, borders and containers
• SpacingPlant 0.1 to 0.15 metres apart in generous drifts
• Low MaintenanceLeave undisturbed to naturalise and divide only when clumps congest
• Pest ResistanceGenerally pest-free and resilient
• Drought ToleranceBulbs sit dormant through dry periods and return with water
• Seasonal AppealRepeated flowering flushes through the wet season rather than a single display

The Pink Rain Lily is a low-cost, self-sustaining edge plant that flowers on its own schedule and asks for nothing between times.