What Are Golden Spider Lilies?

Aptly named golden (aka yellow) spider lily (Lycoris aurea) grows pretty much like the red kind. You plant the bulbs in either fall or spring. (You can even plant pots of them in the fall while they’re blooming.) Leafless spears of golden flowers with long, protruding stamens reminiscent of spider legs appear without warning in September and October following a good downpour. Butterflies love them. After the blossoms fade, the stems dry up, and bright green, strappy leaves emerge. The leaves last all winter and finally die down in late spring as the bulbs go dormant. Come fall, voila! Another show.

How to Grow Golden Spider Lilies

Growing these lilies couldn’t be much easier. Give them full to part sun and well-drained soil. Plant them 4 to 6 inches deep where you plan to leave them, as transplanted ones often skip a year of blooming. Happy plants multiply and form slowly expanding colonies. Note that golden spider lilies aren’t as cold-hardy as the red ones, thriving in USDA Zones 8 to 10. If that means you can’t grow them in the ground year-round, you can always grow them in pots. I bought mine in pots from a local garden center last spring. It was the first time I’d ever seen them for sale this way. You can also use them as borders, in rock gardens, and in flower beds. A grouping of at least three to five makes the best visual display.

These no-fuss flowers are relatively pest- and disease-free, pollinators like them, and they are deer resistant. They are also drought-tolerant.

If you can’t find them at your garden center, Southern Bulbs is an excellent online source.