Spider Lily

Hymenocallis

Our plant of the week comes from viewer Janis, who has some wonderful specimens of Hymenocallis, a perennial bulb and one of many species commonly known as spider lilies.

Janis received these pass-alongs, which bloom in summer, from a friend in Rockport. She keeps them in kiddie pools, which helps greatly to conserve water. This is such a great technique that we wanted to share it with you. Janis drills extra holes about an inch from the bottom of each pot, all the way around so they can draw up the water they need, and also drills small holes just above the soil line, near the top of each pot, so that when it does rain, water does not collect at the top of the pots and rot the bulbs. The bottom of the pool is kept wet year-round, so it doesn’t dry out and crack. This is a great way to collect rainwater, and to keep the plants alive if you go on vacation.