One of the distinctive plants in many St. Augustine gardens is Lycoris radiata, with yellow flowers, and Lycoris aurea, with red bloom. Locally, these are known as the “Hurricane Lilies.” This nickname is derived from the lilies springing into bloom in late August or early September: the height of hurricane season. As with so many St. Augustine stories, Henry M. Flagler plays a key role.
Hurricane lily bloom
Mr. Flagler’s head gardener for all his properties in St. Augustine was Richard Dale (1848-1899).[1] Mr. Dale was English and his wife Louise was Canadian. He had worked in Cleveland, Ohio for John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Flagler’s partner in Standard Oil. Flagler convinced Dale to come to Florida for the sake of his health. Flagler made a large house available to him at 46 Carrera Street overlooking the rear gardens of Mr. Flagler’s mansion “Kirkside.” As evidenced by photographs, Richard Dale introduced many rare plants to St. Augustine, such as Canary Island Date Palm, Senegal Date Palm, Creeping Fig, Bougainvillea, Norfolk Island Pine, and many more.[2] Dale was a true innovator in the use of the native Sabal palmetto in the landscape. He formed a long avenue of palms on the east side of the Hotel Ponce de Leon with the tower of Grace Methodist Church at its culmination. On the west side of the hotel, the “palm garden” was a shady retreat for guests. Before Dale, no one wanted Sabal palms in the yard due to the bugs they attracted. Knowing that insects were less active in the winter, Dale was striving for a tropical look over practicality. He is also responsible for lining Valencia, Cordova, Carrera, Riberia, and Saragossa Streets with Laurel Oaks: only a couple of which still survive.
Row of Hurricane Lilies at the Oldest House parking lot
Dale imported Lycoris radiata from the Orient. It is native to China and Japan. When Dale discovered that the Lycoris didn’t bloom when the Flagler hotels were open (January to April), he gave the plants away to friends and neighbors. Often, he traded them for paperwhite narcissus, one of the few northern spring bulbs that will survive in north Florida. His neighbor Florence Kirkland (her husband Frederick was the General Freight Manager for the Florida East Coast Railway) at 7 Carrera Street had found them in her yard when she acquired the house in 1912.[3] She had given some Lycoris bulbs to beautify the garden of the Oldest House, where they still bloom every hurricane season. Legend has it that if they don’t bloom, there will be no hurricanes. In 1915, Mrs. McArthur and her mother Mrs. Wade were enthralled by the blooms of Hurricane Lilies at the garden of the Oldest House. They acquired some to take to Jacksonville, where Lycoris was unknown. These were planted at Mrs. Wade’s home on Park Street where they multiplied prolifically. She generously shared bulbs with friends.[4]
Written by: Charles Tingley, Research Historian / Edited by: Robert Covert, Collections Manager & Editor-in-Chief
[1] “Evergreen Cemetery, Richard Dale.” Findagrave.com. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60091205/richard-dale
[2] “Ponce de Leon Court,” The Tatler of Florida, February 13, 1892, 3.
[3] R. L. Polk & Co.’s St. Augustine City Directory, 1911-1912, Jacksonville: 1911. 141.
[4] “How Hurricane Lilies Came to Florida.” The Florida Times-Union, September 27, 1959.