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Evening Rain Lily

Zephyranthes drummondii (zeh-fir-AN-theez dru-MON-dee-eye)

Family: Amaryllidaceae Unknown Herbaceous

Evening Star Rainlily is a bulb with fragrant dainty white flowers in the amaryllis family. The flowers open in the evening and last a few days making it an excellent choice for a nighttime garden. The flowers often appear a day or two after a rain. They are fragrant, white aging to pink and showy. Blooming occurs best in full sun but they can tolerate light shade. It is native to prairies and meadows of western and south-central USA and can be used for naturalizing and tolerates mowing. Plant bulbs 2 inches deep in well-drained soil. They spread by bulb offsets and seeds.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 50 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous Optimal soil pH Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala Berlandiera lyrata Lilium formosanum

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Bulb; Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Bulb
USDA zones
7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Sheath; Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Glaucous flat linear foliage elongates after blooming ends
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
6 petaled white flowers on terminal leafless stems open in the evening. They last 2-4 days, age to pink, then wither. Blooms May-Sept.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
3 lobed capsule with many seeds
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems are green, round and hollow
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
FL, LA, TX and Mexico
Distribution
AR , KS , LA , MS , NM , OK , TX
Wildlife value
Attracts bees and butterflies
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Meadow; Naturalized Area; Patio; Walkways
Landscape theme
Garden for the Blind; Nighttime Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#white flowers #nighttime garden #mass planting #sensory garden #fragrant flowers #HS302 #naturalizes #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for dogs #full sun tolerant #patio #meadow #bulb #night blooming
Problems & Resistance
Propagation
Division; Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.