Texas Gardening: A year of Rain lilies, 1 by dmj1218

dmj1218 wrote:
This is the first to bloom this year. I'm more into species than hybrids but I have both. This was a surprise as the first to bloom this year.

Zephyranthes x ruthiae
This is a Thad Howard (wrote the well known book "Bulbs for Warm Climates" and did a lot of work identifying a lot of the Texas and northeastern Mexico species bulbs--he lived and worked in San Antonio) hybrid. This cross between Zephyranthes rosea and Zephyranthes citrina is a smaller, a darker pink, what we like to call a more "precise" version of Zephyranthes grandiflora. A very early bloomer this year; started blooming in mid-March (3/18) a nice deep pink color, a vigorous grower. Recommended for growing in zones 8-9; probably would do good in the "old" zone 7b too. This one looks a little 'tattered" around the edges; but hey, when you are the first of the season, you always look good to me.