I have something that looks like a daylily in spring but quickly turns brown and never flowers. The leaf tips are a little more rounded. Could it be a variety of daylily that needs to be split so it will flower again? Ohio zone 6

No not daylily but not sure what. others may have some suggestions.

It looks kind of like an Agapanthus but I don't know how cold hardy they are.

Lycoris- behaves just like my 'surprise lily' aka naked ladies.

Supposed to bloom sometime in summer, while no leaves are seen, but mine refuses to obey! I read somewhere, they may bloom after a heavy rain. I dunno.

If you dig you should find bulbs like large daffodil bulbs.

Thank you, Sallyg! You are right! I do get some pink flowers in late summer/fall. I called them naked ladies but I didn't associate them with this foliage. Makes sense. Have a great day.

Amaryllis belladonna?

Lycoris is the one I'm familiar with
Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera)

Lycoris petals seem to have more gaps between. And typical color is a pale pink.

The two are probably confused at times (by gardeners- I think the plants always know what they are )
Someone said this in database:
"Lycoris squamigera and Amaryllis belladonna can be easily confused. L. squamigera has a green inflorescence stalk, versus a dark stalk on A. Belladonna."

Yes, I think Lycoris, too. There is this farce that says L. ×squamigera likes the shade. While it is true that they return healthily year after year in such a condition, they don't bloom because the bulb never gets the summertime heat needed to induce flowering. I would think being more summer dry would be a plus, but in my experience in Minnesota, it doesn't seem to make a difference. My best clump grows in full full full sun.

Blooming after a heavy rain? Well if it is following a drought, then yes. For me, they usually just decide to come up when they want.

But in 2023, something different, because we were going through a long drought period, and this clump of many bulbs sent up one stalk in mid August. Then we had a good heavy rain, and all the rest came up as normal. See here:



Of course, it is the Zephyranthus spp. that are the true Rain lilies.

Well, shade could be my problem. Thanks Leftwood.

Thanks everyone! Do the leaves have to be completely brown before I cut them back? I know it needs to gather energy to bloom but they look so messy.

Belladonna Lily! Mine turn into big piles of yellow mush then I pull them off the bulb.

Letting the leaves go all brown is the natural way and technically the best. Heck, you can still see the old leaves in my pic, as I use them for a natural mulch that doesn't blow away.

But it is an incremental thing:
- letting them go yellow first, is better than cutting when green.
- letting the yellow begin to turn brown is better than cutting when yellow.
- letting them go all brown is better than cutting when they begin to turn brown.

The bulk of the nutrients have been harvested from the green leaves when they are completely yellow. Be sure to at least leave them on until then. I have heard that some people "tie" daffodil leaves in knots so they look more tidy. Not recommended. When you tie them up, you disrupt the flow of water and nutrients through the leaf, partially defeating the purpose of leaving them on.

Lycoris has thinner leaves than Amaryllis.
Above leaves look much thicker and wider than lycoris.

Have both... should take pics...

Amarylis send up flowers in August here, lycoris a month later.

Would love to see those pics. I have no idea how any amaryllis types would compare. Maybe you could get a pic of cross sections, too?