A good surprise

I really needed a good surprise this week.  I got one, too.

I was standing on the deck, looking into the backyard, when I saw some flowers in bloom that I had no idea were even there.  Seemingly overnight and out of nowhere, these pink flowers were popping up in patches of monkey grass.  They looked like some type of lily, but I had never seen them before.

I say out of nowhere, because the flowers have no foliage at all.  They’re just stems with flowers on top.

I discovered another great new app from my friend April, who lives near the House of Goodwill.  It’s called “PictureThis” and it’s a free plant identifying app.

It told me my mystery flower is a Belladonna Lily, a member of the Amaryllis species.  I prefer the other name it’s known by, the “Naked Lady Flower” (due to its lack of leaves).

I also learned that the Belladonna Lily is “very temperamental” and making them thrive can seem to be a matter of luck.

So I guess I’m doubly blessed that these beautiful lilies are all over the place, and seem to really like it here. 

I just love when a yard is so flower-filled that you can put a few indoors in vases, with some left over to enjoy outdoors!

(I’ve tried to get my Christmas Amaryllis bulbs from past seasons to rebloom each year, faithfully following all the required steps to do so, but never with any luck.  I get super tall foliage, but never flowers.  So I extra-appreciate how these lilies here are thriving, without any particular care.  I haven’t given up on the Amaryllis bulbs though – maybe this will be my year…)

Thank you God, for a good surprise.