Rain lilies are easy to grow from seed
Q: When should I plant rain lily seeds, and how long should it take for them to produce flowering plants?
Dave Sherron, Houston
A: Rain lily bulbs naturalize in our gardens and provide blooms spring through summer, depending on the species. They’re also easy to propagate from seed. You can let them self-sow or collect the seed and plant where you like.
The various species flower at different times during the warm months, which gives you several opportunities to collect seed. Let seed pods mature on the plant, then open them and scatter the black seed. This gradually creates a denser stand, which gives you a better display of blooms. Or collect and densely sow seed in pots. Sprinkle on the soil and lightly cover. Moisten.
Freshly harvested seed often germinates faster. Don’t confuse the small, slender, grasslike seedlings with weeds.
It takes 18-24 months before the seedlings reach a bulb size large enough to flower.
Small-statured and beautiful, rain lilies are members of the amaryllis family. We typically grow species in two genera: Habranthus hold their
trumpet-to-funnel-shaped blooms at an angle; Zephyranthes carry small crocus or lilylike blooms on slender, hollow stems.
They flower two to three days after a good shower, providing months of color if you’ve planted different species. Flowers may be white, yellow or pink. All are ideal in mixed beds, in monkey-grass or loriope borders, rock gardens and containers.
Plant rain lily bulbs in the fall. Divide established or crowded bulbs in early spring.
Q: The other day, a gold-and-black butterfly kept circling my lemon tree. A long time ago, I put bug spray on the plant because the leaves were mottled with bug damage. After I found out this does not affect the fruit formation, I quit applying the pesticide, but I’m wondering if that butterfly could still detect that bug spray, even though we have gone through many rains. I am dismayed that she did not land and lay eggs. I know they like citrus plants. Carol Matney, Houston
A: I believe you saw a swallowtail butterfly, as citrus are host plants for this graceful creature. The female lays single eggs on a citrus leaf, and in a week or more, odd-looking caterpillars emerge. The caterpillars eat the leaves as they grow, then form chrysalises. A few weeks later, new swallowtail butterflies emerge.
It’s possible the spray has broken down — it depends on what you used, as residuals vary with the type of pesticide. Information on how long a pesticide persists should be found on the product label. However, if you avoid use in the future, swallowtails can rely on your citrus as a safe host plant for their young.
I imagine you sprayed for citrus leaf miner, a pest that crawls within the tissue of the leaves, resulting in a winding silvery trail. You are correct that, while unsightly, the damage does not interfere in fruit production. You can remove the infested leaves if you prefer.
Q: We’ve had two large patio pots with wandering jew for more than 10 years, and the only thing we had to do besides watering was cut it back from time to time. But in the last month or so, a problem has cropped up.
Light-tan colored patches are covering maybe half of the surface area of the leaves. We are not doing anything differently. Would you know what might be causing these patches? We are wondering if they are a real danger to the plants, and if so, what treatment might help. Complicating the situation is that a toad is living in one of the pots, so we’d like to avoid applying anything that would not agree with this creature. Craig Power, Houston
A: Plants commonly called “wandering jew” are found in the Tradescantia genus, and the foliage may be solid purple/burgundy or striped in various color combinations. These popular trailing plants from Mexico take sun to part shade, and while best in moist, welldraining soil, some can be quite drought tolerant.
The problem could be weather-related physiological damage or a fungal or bacterial leaf spot, perhaps encouraged by heavy rains or overwatering coupled with high humidity. Translucent, papery spots may appear. Too much water can trigger root rot. On the other hand, if a plant becomes too dry, leaves will brown.
Glad you don’t want to harm the toad. So, remove damaged foliage. Trim the plants, as foliage may brown and die on extra-long stems. If possible, thin the plants to improve air circulation, which helps discourage disease. Check the soil to make sure it’s not holding too much moisture.
Since the plants have been growing in the same containers for so many years, it’s probably a good idea to repot with fresh, well-draining potting medium. If you’re wary of disturbing the resident toad, you might try adding a few fistfuls of compost to gradually improve the soil.