Blood Lily

Plant type: bulb
Hardiness: Hardy in USDA Zones 8 to 10

You won't get much play from these plants (they bloom for only a week or two), but when they're in full flower, you'll have a conversation piece in the garden. Airy, orange-red balls--consisting of up to 200 tiny flowers, each with yellow stamens-- appear atop 8- to 10-inch plants in mid- to late summer. Takes full sun but the blooms seem to last longer when given partial or light shade. Site in average to wet spots; also makes a good container plant. Listed as deer- and rodent-resistant. Is marginally hardy in warmer areas of USDA Zone 7 (may overwinter with mulch and good drainage); north of that, dig and store in the fall. Great cut flower.

Caution: The plant is poisonous to humans and animals.