Top 3 Plants With Pink Flowers, No Leaves, Long Stem (2024)

Only in “Alice in Wonderland” may you have read about plants with pink flowers and no leaves, but hold on, you can also own them in the real world!

Few rare plants with pink flowers on a long stem with no leaves exist in nature, such as the Surprise lily, Belladonna Lily, and Autumn Crocus, which display single to varied shades and bloom multiple times.

However, you need not be Alice from Wonderland to try to grow these unique pink flowers. Continue reading to unravel the mystery.

Plants With Pink Flowers, No Leaves, Long Stem

1. Surprise Lily

Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera), also known as Naked Lady, is a perennial flowering plant native to oriental regions; East China, Korea, and Japan.

Also called Resurrection Lily, it was named “Surprise Lily” from its unique blooming behavior, where flowers emerge from nowhere.

Therefore, you would only see a tube-like stem and flower head appearing at the top without any leaves.

The plant would reach about 18 to 24 inches (45-60 cm) and display showy, trumpet-shaped flowers every summer until fall.

Surprise Lily’s Flowers:

Surprisingly, the plant is known to be highly resilient, withstanding challenging weather conditions in USDA zones 5-11.

However, please do not confuse them for the similar-looking plant Jersey Lily, native to Africa.

Growth Care:

• Care to plant the bulbs with their necks just above the soil surface in the fall.
• Choose a sunny or partially shaded place in the garden.
• Keep the soil substrate evenly moist during the growing season.
• They can overcrowd in no time; hence, divide the bulbs and replant every few years.
• Apply a balanced fertilizer once a year and protect from cold by mulching around the plant.

2. Belladonna Lily

Belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna) is another striking flowering plant with trademark pink blooms but no leaves.

Commonly referred to as the Jersey lily or Naked-lady lily, it is a flowering plant native to tropical South Africa that blooms every summer and autumn.

Like Surprise Lily, Belladonna emerges from an underground bulb and produces a single, thick, fleshy stem with a height of 2 to 3 feet (60-90 cm).

The plant grows fleshy leaves in spring but drops them immediately before flowering.

Belladonna Lily’s Flowers:

Each stalk holds a flower that will return after the earlier bloom fades.

Growth Care:

• Choose a pre-sunny location in the garden with well-draining soil.
• Plant the bulb about 4-6 inches deep into the soil in late summer or early autumn.
• Use a balanced fertilizer in early spring to give a flowering boost.
• Keep the soil substrate evenly moist and mulch around the plant in the fall to protect it from frost.

3. Autumn Crocus

Did you know Autumn Crocus is not a true Crocus but one of its Colchicum hybrids?

Also known as Meadow Saffron, this plant is native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia and grows out of corms (bulb-like underground roots).

Nonetheless, it produces signature pink flower heads directly on the stem and has no traces of foliage.

The broad, lance-shaped leaves appear in spring and disappear by early summer, making way for blooms.

Depending on the cultivar, the plant will reach 4 to 6 inches tall (10-15 cm) and 3 to 4 inches wide (7-10 cm).

As a perennial flowering plant, it will return year after year and produce showy flowers in the fall, usually from late September to November.

Autumn Crocus’ Flowers:

All parts of the Autumn Crocus plant contain toxic alkaloids, where ingesting can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms.

Growth Care:

• Plant the corms before the first frost in late summer to early fall.
• Choose full sun to partial shade with well-draining soil.
• Provide moderate watering in the growing season to keep the soil evenly moist.
• You can avoid fertilizing or use balanced fertilizer applied once in early spring.
• The corms will become crowded, requiring dividing and planting them in spring or summer every few years.