At Our Family Cemetery There Are Several Ghost Lily Plants….
Janet Asked
At our family cemetery there are several ghost lily plants. They keep multiplying year after year. Our family wants to kill them so that the lilies will not grow there. Do you know what we can use to kill these plants?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, Janet: Common names of plants can be used loosely and sometimes these names can be used when referring to different plants altogether, so I first want to make sure that we are thinking about the same plant. Lycoris squamigera, also known as surprise lily, resurrection lily, and/or ghost lily, is a summer flowering bulb that belongs to the amaryllis family. The flower is pale pink in color and the stem is naked, meaning it has no foliage at this time. These bulbs are an old-fashioned favorite that are considered very low maintenance. They can multiply quickly and tolerate most growing conditions, which is likely why there are so happy in your family cemetery. Let me know if this does not sound like the lily you are referring to. Hopefully we are on the same page. As far as getting rid of them, the best solution is to dig them up. Spraying and other methods are typically not effective on bulbs. You may find that someone will be happy to do the work for you! Contact your County Master Gardener program or your County Extension Service. I am certain there are gardeners in your area that would be happy to dig them for you and transplant them into their garden. I hope this is helpful.
