I know it's pretty early in the year...but last spring I completely overhauled our front garden and planted a wide variety of things from my sister's garden. Most of it got written down...but not this one. So far daffodils and belladonna lilies have started coming up (south facing garden gets full sun all winter), but I have no record of what this is. Any ideas or is it still too early to tell?

They look like Tulips (Tulipa) to me.

Tulips. Me too.

Thanks @plantladylin and @Leftwood!

I don't recall getting tulips but hey, that means more spring color!

Tulips is just a wild guess on my part ... those beauties don't grow this far south so I'm not really certain that's what you've got sprouting there in your Iowa garden. Keep us posted ... once you get blooms, you will know for sure!

plantladylin said:Keep us posted ... once you get blooms, you will know for sure!

Oh I will first year everything will be in it's home from day 1, SO excited to see it grow!

@plantladylin well the leaves turned out to definitely be tulips...but no blooms

Are you able to add a current pic?

purpleinopp said:Are you able to add a current pic?

Just took these...the only thing I've done in the garden is weed it. Everything else seems to be growing well. I have some naked lady lilies (that's what I was told they are) that haven't bloomed either.

Maybe Hosta leaves?

plantladylin said:Maybe Hosta leaves?

Don't think so...we inherited a TON of hostas with this house...enough to give our neighbors a shade garden + more. They're the nice thick leaves a tulip usually has.

Interesting. I don't have any further suggestion from the new pics except that they (probably tulips) look like they are struggling. Could being planted too deeply cause this? IDK.

Your "naked ladies" are probably Lycoris squamigera, judging by your zone. Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera)

They have foliage until later in the year, when the foliage disappears and then the flowers come up, "naked," without any foliage, hence the nickname. There are other species of Lycoris and Amaryllis that behave this way, but none of the others are hardy in your zone, AFAIK, and all share the nicknames "naked ladies," "surprise lilies", etc...

purpleinopp said:Interesting. I don't have any further suggestion from the new pics except that they (probably tulips) look like they are struggling. Could being planted too deeply cause this? IDK.

Your "naked ladies" are probably Lycoris squamigera, judging by your zone. Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera)

They have foliage until later in the year, when the foliage disappears and then the flowers come up, "naked," without any foliage, hence the nickname. There are other species of Lycoris and Amaryllis that behave this way, but none of the others are hardy in your zone, AFAIK, and all share the nicknames "naked ladies," "surprise lilies", etc...

Planted too deeply is probably the cause...I just kind of put everything (transplants from my sister) in the garden without much care, and have never had tulips before. Thanks for the info! I'll leave the amaryllis alone

Happy to suggest! My wording may have been confusing, I apologize. Suggesting that you have Lycoris squamigera, not Amaryllis. There could be the random microclimate situation, but I don't think there are any Amaryllis that would normally be hardy in Z5.

purpleinopp said: Suggesting that you have Lycoris squamigera, not Amaryllis. There could be the random microclimate situation, but I don't think there are any Amaryllis that would normally be hardy in Z5.

Oooh ok, that makes sense. All of my research into Amaryllis didn't seem right but that's what I was told it would be. Thanks for the clarification!

They DO look like Tulip leaves.

Definitely tulips. After they die back for the season, dig them up and replant closer to the surface. That will hopefully help them prosper and bloom next year.