So, what do you do to pass the time on a warm summer’s evening? Earlier this week, Chris had me harvesting these pink rain lily seeds. It’s pretty amazing to think that over 1,000 pots were grown from one small brown bag of seeds. During the dating days of last summer, the Bulb Hunter and I spent much of our “let’s get to know each other time” working outside. Dr. Welch happened to be with us on my first bulb dig where we ended up collecting pink rain lily seeds from a garden in College Station.
One short year later, here I am not only married to The Bulb Hunter but collecting seeds once again from plants grown from last years seeds.
Chris tells me that since there are 3-5 bulbs per pot, we easily have 4,000 bulbs now!
Oh, and look at this beautiful rainbow we saw on the farm that same evening! I act like a little kid at the sight of rainbows since they aren’t something you see every day. On my first two trips up here to Golden last summer, each time as I neared the cabin, a rainbow came into view. Call me crazy, but I took that to mean no matter what, God has good things in store for Chris and I. Boy, was I right.
Chris Wiesinger, the Bulb Hunter, founded The Southern Bulb Company to share his finds with the world. 
Thanks, Lil’ Bulb. One Southern Bulb friend named William e-mailed the following question:
Are the black pink rain lily seeds good to plant?
I have hundreds of these seeds.
Can they be saved for future planting?
Will they germinate?
What is the correct process to plant these seeds?
RESPONSE:
Hi, William!
Most rain lily seeds are extremely fertile and will become a blooming size bulb with in a year (although a small one). The longer you hold them out of cold storage, the less the germination will be. If you get them in the ground by fall, you should have a pretty high rate. I am using Habranthus robustus as my experience for the information above, but most other Zephyranthes and Habranthus rain lilies are pretty fertile.
However, one of the most popular rain lilies, Zephyranthes grandiflora does not set seed.
Hope this helps.
Chris
Chris Wiesinger
“The Bulb Hunter”
Office: 888-285-2486
The Southern Bulb Co.
http://www.southernbulbs.com
What do you mean by “hold them out of cold storage?” Do you refrigerate the seeds before planting?
Which variety has a delicate scent?
Thanks!
“Laurie, I am so sorry. That was a slip up. What I meant to say is that the longer you simply “hold on to them” and keep them before planting, the less the germination will be. You can put the seeds in the refrigerator to keep their fertility lasting longer, but they are best planted fresh. Just quickly scratch up the soil where you want them to go, cover them with some dirt or a light layer of beach sand to keep them anchored, and they are good to go! However, when it’s 110 degrees, planting them in an area with a little more shade would be advisable.
The scent is subjective, so we let people decide for themselves. They are definitely not KNOWN for their great scent.”
-Chris