Also known as belladonna lily, Jersey lily, resurrection lily, magic lily, surprise lily, or the March lily, the naked lady lily Amaryllis belladonna is an amazing flower. While naked ladies are considered hardy from USDA zones 7 to 10, a lot of people say they have successfully grown them as far north as Chicago and southern Iowa, as well as in zone 4 in Colorado. Some but not all of those making these assertions have said the naked ladies have grown from compost piles. This makes sense as it would be much warmer than other areas of the garden or yard.
It is a small genus of flowering bulbs , with two species. The better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna , is a native of the Western Cape region of South Africa , particularly the rocky southwest area between the Olifants River Valley and Knysna. Plants of the genus Amaryllis are known as belladonna lily, Jersey lily, naked lady, amarillo, Easter lily in Southern Australia or, in South Africa, March lily due to its propensity to flower around March.
Naked ladies Amaryllis belladonna have an unusual manner of providing summer flowers. After the winter-growing leaves have died down for summer dormancy, in late summer, a bloom stalk of fragrant pink flowers emerges and blooms without leaves, or naked. The best time to plant naked lady is while the bulb is dormant. The green strap-shaped leaves of naked lady make a significant clump of foliage in the garden in winter and spring, but then they die down.