Rain Lily, Zephyranthes candida, is so-named because it blooms heavily after rain. However, unlike that mopey bunch Garbage (pour your misery down, pour your misery down on me), Rain Lily is actually quite happy when it doesn’t rain. Drought resistant and willing to flower at the smallest provocation, Rain Lily is pure class.

Rain lily naturalizes very well indeed and is easy to grow. Although available in a number of cultivars (and colors), the pure white of a fall-blooming rain lily, Zephranthes candida, found in the photograph to the right, is hard to beat. The juxtaposition of the dark green linear foliage with the bright form of virginal white flowers is enough. The foliage is evergreen and attractive even when no blooms are present.

Native to America
There are seemingly a zillion species of Zephyranthes, and frankly I find the existing literature and knowledge about this species to be a bit contradictory and dispersed. However, I can recommend White Rain Lily (Zephranthes candida) and Pink Rain Lily (Zephranthes grandiflora). Nice insight into rain lily comes from a monograph Lorraine Barney Spencer wrote at Wake Forest University. Spencer draws a direct comparison to the cultural views of rain lily with the more familiar daffodil:

“The genus Zephyranthes is indigenous and limited to the Western Hemisphere, being an entire American species of Amaryllidaceae. Several dozen bulbous species occur only in warm temperate to tropical areas, from near sea level to high plateau and mountain regions. The genus may be considered the American antonym of the closely related Old World Narcissus with all of its species occurring near the Mediterranean Sea.”

Growing Rain Lily
Chunk it into the ground in a spot that gets a bit of sun. As recommended with garlic chives, rain lily is like a beacon when seen in shady places, so plan for late afternoon shade. Rain lily absolutely glows if one can plant it in a spot where the sun does not wash harshly over it. The trick is to plant rain lily where it gets sun when you’re not around (like the middle of the day perhaps). Well-drained soil is a must.

Common Name: Rain Lily, Fairy Lily, Zephyr Lily, Fall-Blooming Rain Lily, Peruvian Swamp Lily
Scientific Name: Zephyranthes candida (zeff-er-RAN-theez)
Classification: Bulb, semi-hardy (injured below 28 degF)
Native to: Western Hemisphere, U.S. distribution of a number of species in southern U.S., from North Carolina to Arizona. Zephyranthes candida is native to the La Plata region of South America.
Zones: semi-hardy. Hardy zones 8-11. Hardy to Semi-hardy zone 7. Container in Zones 2-6.
Flowers: pink, white
Flowering Season: summer
Growth Habit: 6-12 inches, plant 3-4 inches apart.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Sunlight: Direct sun to partial shade.
Water Requirements: Rain is enough.
Soil Requirements: Well-drained is recommended (Tuberous plants rot easily in the muck).

Zephyranthes candida (White Rain Lily)

Zephyranthes grandiflora (Pink Rain Lily)