Oxblood Lilies Announce Fall with Brilliant Color!

Oxblood Lilies, Oct. 1, 2016

It’s October 1 —Yikes, how did I let September get by without posting about the Oxblood lilies? (The semester is finally settling down just a bit to give me a little more time for gardening!) These gems reliably show up each year as early as late August, throughout the month of September, and — this year — are still going strong the first day of October.

They look like a miniature amaryllis because they are part of the Amaryllid family of flowers. The Oxblood lilies (Rhodophiala bifida) send up foliage in Spring, then the flowers appear in clusters of 3 to 5 on stalks that emerge in late Summer to Early Fall. One thing’s for certain — cooler temperatures are on the way once the oxblood’s appear!

The flowers range in color from bright red to nearly maroon (my favorite color — Aggie Maroon!). These flowers can be seen in abundance in Texas — even growing in fields! Once naturalized and established, they emerge every Fall!

This is a great passalong plant to share — one easy keeper!