This plant will grow in nearly any soil type, as long as it drains well. Plant in full sun and irrigate occasionally or not at all – as evidenced by where it plant has naturalized, it is a plant that survives and thrives in locations where it only get natural rainfall in coastal California areas and it is cold hardy to 15-20 degrees F.

Amaryllis belladonna comes from the Cape Province in South Africa. The genus name Amaryllis comes from the Greek word 'amarysso' which means "to sparkle". In Greek mythology, Amaryllis was a shepherdess and singer, and it is thought that she was the inspiration for the name of the plant with its beautiful pink flowers. The specific epithet belladonna is derived from the Italian bella donna, which means beautiful lady. Typically called Naked Lady in the U.S. because the flowering occurs when the foliage is not present but other common names include Jersey Lily, Belladonna-lily and March lily in the southern hemisphere. The British tend to call it Jersey Lily because of a famous painting title "A Jersey Lily" that shows the English actress, Lily Langtry (1853-1929) holding the flower. The title was in reference to Langtry being from the island of Jersey but many took it as the name of the flower and so it became widely known as the "Jersey Lily".

It is thought that Portuguese explorers probably brought the amaryllis bulb from South Africa to Europe as early as the 16th century. There is considerable confusion as to whether the plant that has been in cultivation in California is actually the true Amaryllis belladonna or if early hybrids from the 19th century between Amaryllis belladonna and Brunsvigia josephinae, a bi-generic hybrid called x Amargyia parkeri, that was more vigorous and had more flowers held in a rounded head, replaced the species as the dominant plant. Certainly, the plants we have grown as Amaryllis belladonna hybrids were the result of later such hybridization but some claim that all of the Naked Ladies currently grown share this parentage. While this argument continues and remains unresolved, we will continue to list this common garden plants as Amaryllis belladonna. We are not currently growing the standard pink form of the species that has naturalized in and around gardens in coastal California but continue to grow the white flowering cultivar Amaryllis belladonna 'Alba' and seedlings with mixed colors we that call Amaryllis belladonna hybrids. 

This information about Amaryllis belladonna displayed on this web page is based on research we have conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations we have made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how our crops have performed in containers in the nursery field. Where appropriate, we will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.