Oxblood Lilies, Round 2

I’ve told you about these delightful little bulbs that look like some kind of miniature amaryllis. They bloom at only 10 or 12 inches in height. The flowers, like the bulbs, are about 1 inch in size, and they put on their best show when they’re planted in masses like this.

Your pertinent facts…
• Rhodophiala bifida.
• Common names: oxblood lilies, schoolhouse lilies.
• Native to Argentina.
• Introduced to Texas in the 1850s by Texas Hill Country settlers.
• Flowers in September, October.
• Does best in moist, shaded locations where bulbs can remain undisturbed for many years.
• Mass in beds, planting bulbs 3 inches deep and 3 inches apart. Let them grow and multiply.
• Flowers will come first, followed by leaves in November. The leaves will persist until spring. Once they wither and fall away you can dig and move the bulbs if you need to.
• I have been given bulbs and I have bought them in local independent retail nurseries. I’ve even bought them off eBay with very good success twice and very poor results one time. That person sold very small bulbs. The eBay description gave the bulbs’ size, so I had only myself to blame.