Amaryllis (indoor and hardy)
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Flowers, Plants and Bulbs | 3 comments
Photo: Amaryllis flower
Now that’s a name to conjure with. I’ve never met anyone or even a pet called Amaryllis. I did know a girl called Primrose T. She had big bones and would galumph across the lacrosse field and score goal after goal. Not being a sporty type I was always relegated to the edge of the field where I could observe the hub of the game and rarely be tasked to join in. Oh the bliss of growing up and not having to endure school sports.
I used to only grow white amaryllis but gradually I have begun to appreciate the huge range of colourful blooms and am now besotted by this striped beauty. Each of her five heads must be at least 8”/20cm in diameter. My mum gave me the bulb at Christmas and it was huge. This year I’m going to try and save the bulb for next year – Kate UK has very good instructions for how to do this in the comments section of this post .
This amaryllis was planted in April and grew so tall (shades of the lacrosse champ) that she had to be moved into the bathroom. Here she towered over the orchids. We have a big mirror in the bathroom so, with the reflection, each flowering head became two. From now on the bathroom will be the venue for any future amaryllis.
Photo: Hardy amaryllis
This year I invested in six hardy amaryllis bulbs for the garden from Thompson and Morgan (they won’t be available again until next Spring). The bulbs are much smaller than the indoor ones. Two have flowered so far. The first had pale yellow single trumpet flowers. The latest one is spectacular and has triple trumpet flowers. I’m hoping that these bulbs will multiply over time. Even though they are supposed to be hardy I’m going to dig them up in the Autumn as I’d hate to lose them.
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My dearly-loved bitch Beattie, who died in March aged 15, was officially “Dalcross Amaryllis”. 🙂
Hippeastrum grow wonderfully well in Houston, Texas where summer temperatures are high 90s Fahrenheit in summer.So either plant quite deeply in well drained soil or – as you mention – dig and store dry over the dormant period.
Keep in mind that this bulb, like lilies, has permanent fleshy roots that should not be cut or allowed to dry out – unlike daffodils and tulips which only have seasonal roots.
It is a terrific cut flower. One caveat – the stem is hollow and tends to split at the end when cut. Wrap a piece of stretchy green florist tape at the bottom to prevent this from occurring.
What a gorgeous amarylis – ive never tried growing them outdoors but im definitley tempted now – my attempts so far have all involved having them gifted at christmas and then forgetting about them – seeing this bloom im inspired to give them another go!