(This excerpt was taken from the sign display at the garden I intern at… hope you all enjoy the beautiful bloom photos 💚) Nerine Collection Amaryllidaceae Guernsey Lily South Africa According to legend, it was a 17th century shipwreck that is responsible for the Guernsey Lily's namesake. While en route from Japan to the Netherlands, a vessel from the Dutch East India Company shipwrecked off the coast of Guernsey, an island in the English Channel. The bulbs, as part of the shipment's cargo, washed ashore and proliferated in the sand, spreading inland. For over a century after the shipwreck, the Guernsey Lily's origin was presumed to be Japan due to the ill-fated vessel's route. It was later discovered that the southern tip of South Africa was their origin after they were found blanketing the slopes of Table Mountain, a majestic plateau overlooking Cape Town. The Guernsey Lily is a fall bloomer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and a vibrant autumnal feature!
