How to Grow Belladonna Lilies in Australia

Belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna), in the family Amaryllidaceae, is a South African bulb. It is grown for its scented pink or white trumpets, carried on bare stems in late summer and autumn. Strap-shaped leaves follow the flowers and stay green through winter, then die off before a dry summer rest. That rhythm suits southern Australia so well that old clumps persist around homesteads with no care at all. The usual mistake is treating it like a daffodil, planted deep and watered, which gives leaves but few flowers.

Three mistakes that matter

1. Burying the neck. A bulb planted deep tends to make leaves and few flowers, because it needs summer heat on its shoulders to flower well. Set the neck at or just above the soil surface, as shown under Planting Bulbs.
2. Watering through summer. Summer water on a resting bulb can stop it flowering, and cold, wet soil rots it. Plant where no sprinkler or dripper reaches, and let autumn and winter rain carry the leaves.
3. Moving or dividing it often. A newly planted or disturbed bulb often sulks for a year or two before it flowers. Choose the spot with care, then leave the clump alone until it is crowded and flowering falls away.

When to plant

Plant dormant bulbs from December to March, once the old leaves have died and the bulb sits bare and dry. Planted then, it can send up flower stems in late summer or autumn, then root into the autumn rain as its leaves appear. Plant once: a clump can stay in place for decades.

A bulb that arrives with a flower stem already showing can still go in at once. A potted plant in leaf goes in at the depth it sat in its pot.

Site, soil and setup

Heat and a dry summer decide how well a belladonna flowers. On the dry side of the Adelaide Hills, Gardening Australia's Sophie Thomson planted dozens of bulbs along an unwatered driveway. They flower without extra water once settled.

A clump stays put for many years, so crop rotation does not apply. Despite its name, it is not a true lily: it is a cousin of the daffodil, not of Lilium. Flower stems reach 50 to 90 cm.

Weed status, state by state

Belladonna lily is not a declared weed in any state or territory. It has, though, naturalised in bushland in parts of southern Australia, spreading from seed and from dumped garden waste.

It is invasive in some districts, so check with your local council before planting near bushland. Never dump bulbs or garden waste over the back fence.

Container growing

A pot suits heavy, wet soil, a courtyard, or a subtropical garden where the bulb needs moving out of summer storms. The stems are tall, so use a heavy, wide pot with drainage holes. A pot about 30 cm across and 30 cm deep, around 20 L, holds one to three bulbs. Fill it with premium potting mix blended with about one third coarse sand. Both store lines, Tall Pink and Tall White, are full-sized and grow the same way in a pot.

• Watering. Water when the mix dries out while the leaves are green, then keep it dry from leaf yellowing until the flower stems show.
• Feeding. Water in liquid potash at half the label rate every fortnight, from the first flower stems until the leaves yellow.
• Position. Full sun in a sheltered spot, moved under the eaves when summer storms set in and to a frost-free spot in severe winters.
• Repotting. Repot every two to three years while dormant in summer, into fresh mix at the same depth.

Planting Bulbs

Belladonna lily starts from a dormant bulb: broadly egg-shaped, about 10 cm long, with a long neck of papery scales.

What the store sells

Both are Amaryllis belladonna and are planted and grown the same way. Hippeastrum, often sold as amaryllis, is a different plant: the belladonna is the one that flowers on a bare stem before any leaf appears.

Planting a bulb

1. Prepare the bed as under Site, soil and setup.
2. Space bulbs about 30 cm apart, so each clump has room to grow.
3. Dig a hole just deep enough for the body of the bulb, and set it in roots down.
4. Backfill so the neck sits at or just above the soil surface.
5. Water once with seaweed solution at 30 mL per 9 L to settle the soil.
6. Mark the spot, because nothing shows until a flower stem or the leaves appear.

Dividing an established clump

Lift a crowded clump only when flowering falls away, while the bulbs are dormant after the leaves have died. Ease away the offsets (small bulbs that form beside the parent) with roots attached, and replant them at once at the same depth. Offsets reach flowering size in two to three years; seedlings take three to five years or more. See dividing perennials for the method.

Care by growth stage

A hot, dry summer rest decides the next year's flowers. In the ground the bulb needs no summer water, and little feeding beyond compost and a little potash.

If growth stalls in very poor soil, a light dose of all-purpose controlled release granular (NPK around 14-5-10) in autumn can help.

Companion planting

Pair belladonna lily with plants that want the same full sun and dry summer, and keep it away from anything on a sprinkler.

Grows well with

• Lavender, which wants the same sun, drainage and dry summer.
• Rosemary, a drought-hardy shrub that shelters the clump from wind.
• Salvia, which keeps a dry border in flower around the bare summer clump.
• Catmint, a low, dry-tolerant edging that hides the bare base of the stems.

Keep apart

• Vegie beds, where a bulb could be dug up and mistaken for food.
• Lawns and irrigated beds, whose summer water stops the bulbs flowering.
• Children's play areas and places where dogs dig, because every part is poisonous.
• Bushland edges, where seed and dumped bulbs can escape.

Harvesting Blooms

Cut stems for the vase when the first bud in the head has just opened; the rest open indoors.

• Cut in the cool of early morning, with clean secateurs.
• Cut low on the stem and stand it straight in deep water.
• Wear gloves, because the sap can irritate skin.
• Cut faded stems at the base before seed ripens, so the bulb does not spend itself on seed and none escapes into bushland.
• Keep vases out of reach of cats and dogs.

Plant bought bulbs as soon as they arrive, because dry bulbs shrivel if they stay out of the soil for long. Until then keep them cool and dry, and if planting must wait, pot them in free-draining mix with the neck exposed. Use the scented stems on their own in a tall vase, where the bare stems show off the trumpets.

Common problems

No flowers. Beyond the causes under Three mistakes that matter, look for shade or young bulbs; see Dividing an established clump for how long offsets take.

Soft, rotting bulb. Cold, wet soil in winter rots the bulb; replant any firm offsets on a raised bed or in a pot.

Seedlings around the clump. The fleshy seeds drop and can sprout nearby; pull the seedlings while they are small.

Pests and diseases

Belladonna lily is generally trouble-free in a dry, sunny spot, and most damage comes from chewing pests on soft buds and new leaves.

Lily caterpillar (Spodoptera picta). A native moth caterpillar, often with yellow stripes on a black and white body. It strips amaryllis family plants in hot, humid east coast weather, then bores down into the bulb and kills it. Check under the leaves regularly for egg masses, often covered in pale brown hairs, and pick off those leaves. Hand-pick caterpillars early in the morning, and dig out and bin any bulb that has turned to mush.

Garden snail (Cornu aspersum). The snail of urban gardens throughout Australia chews the flower buds and the soft new leaves. Hand-pick on damp evenings and use an iron-based bait if needed. Read more

Mealybugs (family Pseudococcidae). Small, oval, soft-bodied insects in white powdery wax that hide in tight spaces between the leaf bases, mostly on potted plants under cover. Wipe them off or spray with insecticidal soap. Read more

Prevention first

• Plant in full sun in free-draining soil.
• Check buds and new leaves on damp evenings and warm mornings.
• Keep potted bulbs outdoors in sun and moving air.
• Pull away the old leaves by hand once they have died back.

Tips

1. Buy bulbs that feel firm when gently squeezed, and discard any that feel soft.
2. In hard-frost districts, spread a dry mulch around the necks in winter.
3. Rake mulch back off the necks in summer, so the sun can bake the resting bulbs.

Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send belladonna lily bulbs to Western Australia or Tasmania.