Q: What is the plant that comes up out of nowhere with the beautiful pink lily flowers every summer. I feel like I never see leaves — just a flower.

• Melanie from Cornersburg

A: This plant seems like magic, right? The foliage is large and lush in early spring, but then dies back to the ground by the time summer temperatures arrive. Sometimes, gardeners dig this up because they assume it is a daffodil that just won’t bloom. But this plant requires patience.

Just when it is forgotten, this plant magically comes back to life each August with just a flower stalk and beautiful pink flowers. This is why the common names for this plant include resurrection lily, magic lily, naked lady lily, flamingo lily and more.

The plant is Lycoris squamigera, and it is a member of the amaryllis family. You will notice the flower arrangement on the flowers on the stalk and their resemblance to the red amaryllis sold in stores during the Christmas season.

These bulbs were a favorite of our grandmothers’ gardens but are less popular these days. This is most likely because many do not know what this plant is, and that most times it is removed by new homeowners before the beautiful pink flowers appear.

The plentiful spring foliage has wide leaves compared to daffodils and dies back about the same time. If you don’t notice the foliage, it may be planted alongside daffodils and the difference is not noticeable in spring. Summer goes on as usual and most forget there was even a plant in the location of the forgotten foliage. Then, just when summer perennials get tattered and show signs of heat stress — the stalks emerge and the beautiful pink flowers seem to appear out of nowhere. There is no new foliage, just the flower stalk.

The blooms are generally 20 inches high with five or more flowers trumpeting out of the top of the stalk. The flowers are quite showy and very fragrant. They will remind you of your winter amaryllis bulbs, just a little smaller and pink in color rather than red. The August heat makes this a short blooming plant, but it will last at least two weeks with partial shade in the afternoon.

It is a perennial bulb. Planting in well-drained soil helps the bulbs multiply and bloom repeatedly year after year. If not divided, the clump can expand quickly for a large mass of flowers. Generally, there are few to no pests or diseases which attack this plant.

This is a great plant to share. Just dig the bulbs after the flowers fade or later in fall. Plant the bulbs in a new place in your garden, or share them with your gardening friends.

To learn more about this plant, go to http://go.osu.edu/surpriselily.