Hello Bergit

Thank you for the documentation of your "amaryllis history"
How do you "illuminate" your numerous plants in your living room?

Hans-Werner

Hallo, Hans Werner !

How ? The sun !

:-)

I have no artificial light for my Hippeastrums. They are in the windowsills or on flowerstands by a ( wide/double ) porchdoor. It has worked out so far ...
Poor light is probably worst on the new bulbs that are planted in October / Nowember. Old bulbs rest untill January, depending on when they start new growth, and in January / February we usually have peroids of snow & sun ( very strong light ).

I have mostly Dutch hybrids, but also a few South African ( Hadeco-hybrids ). So far the Dutch hybrids has performed better ( after flowering ) ; I find it easier to "rehabilitate" the Dutch hybrids ( after flowering ). The South African bulbs have lost size, and some have simply rotted. I should perhaps mention that last summer I had the bulbs outside form June till October. The last weeks were very rainy, and this was definitly worst on the South African bulbs.

Any comments ?

And then back to the H. 'Minerva', the reason for my newfound passion : It was bought in 2000 or 2001, I can't remember if it had bloomed 2 or 3 times before it ended under the hollybush in 2003. ( That shows my level of interest at that time. ) When I threw it out I thought it was dead or at least beyond rescue, there was hardly anything left of it !!!

How that miserable bulb could perform as it did, I shall never understand !!! By the way, I've still got it, now it's big and healthy.

As part of my wife's physical therapy in the rehab hopital at the end of '03, we would do a lot of walking and rolling in the wheelchair. During one of our excursions, we found an Amaryllis bulb in a pot someone had put in a window just above a radiator situated in a back hall, way out of the normally well travelled areas. As the weeks went by, we looked forward to the walk in order to see how much taller the scapes, then flowers, then leaves became, sort of a reward for the effort.
This year, I got her a bulb to take care of (still in hospital) and again a great deal of fun watching the progress and blooms...then I found this forum and learned from experienced growers... then more bulbs and now sowing seeds from my crosses...where will it end.

Hello, KayLakeMan !

Thanks for sharing your story !
Like you I was inspired by postings at this forum to make Amaryllis-crosses, and so far growing them has been great fun.

:-)

Hello, all you Amaryllis-fans !

One shouldn't give up, don't you agree !
So I try again ; how did you come to love this plant ???

Your story doesn't have to be special / spectacular !!!

Let's share more than "technicalities" ...

:-) from Bergit

Nice stories. My Aunt passed away 8 years ago and I was walking around her garden (I've always found peace in the garden), she had daylilies which was blooming and the amaryllis which had already bloomed and there was 1 bulb laying on a board. I picked it up, had never seen anything like it. My cousin said thats an amaryllis and why don't you take it home. I did and planted it by my patio next to the gerber daisies and the next year the most amazing stalk and the reddest bloom I had ever seen and the rest is history - hooked and have many since then. By the way my cousin dug up all of my aunt's amaryllis and they are all red and glorious but I have added many colors to my collection and I just can't seem to have enough - LOL!!
Bren

HI ALL
I tried every type of bulbs that I could lay my hands on.
But know Ihave a few varieties of crenums,Day lillies and lots of AMaryllis. I got hooked to Amaryllis after results of my first cross breeding. Now every year I look forward to some new winner.
ARIF

I bought one of the kits that are sold around Christmas in the grocery stores and it turned out to be an amazingly fragrant Amaryllis and I've never been able to find another one like it. I've bought all varieties. Since then I buy them every year and give the offsets as gifts. Would love to find out what that original bulb is, and find more.

Thanks for sharing, Bren and Arif !

And, Amaryll, you could try to post a picture of your very special amaryllis here. Maybe someone can identify it for you.

I have been growing amaryllis only for a couple of years but have about 15 bulbs now. The four I started with I put on my deck last summer and gave plenty of sun and fertilized it a few times. One was knocked off the deck by a raccoon and I confess I left it there lying on the ground for almost a month. In October I put them all in the shed and let them die back. Later when it got too cold I put them in the laundry room and nearly forgot them except of course they started growing. They all had 2 stems. The are out on the deck again with the slew of bulbs I got last fall getting sun and hopefully storing up some energy for the winter. I have plenty of house plants but the amaryllis is what gives me my garden fix in the winter.

Thanks for sharing "jackied164" !

And this is also ment as a request to those who are lurking at the Hippeastrum-postings.

Why this interest ?

I finally figured out I could stick them in the garden after they finished blooming, a lot of people seem to think I can "fix" any plant they bring me so I got a lot of these one year after the holiday. Then I went to the grocery store and they had the kits for $1 after Christmas, I bought 15 & stuck them in the garden. I put about 30 around the yard that year and never gave them another thought. Then in the spring they started popping up.
I've dug them up at abandoned homesites, rescued them from the neighbor and bought them on clearance. I lust after some of the new hybrids but can't bring myself to spend close to $20 for one bulb.
There is a house I drive by almost weekly that has dozens growing along the fence, in deep shade they are a beautiful deep red and have been there at least 30 years I know of.
I'm also partial to the little ox-blood lilies, also rescues.
Tally HO!

Hello, Tally !

It's such fun that you and I, who live in such different zones, kan share the passion for the same plant! I've looked at Your Page, you see, and your island sounds very exotic to me.

I'd love to see a picture of those Hippeastrums that have survived at abandoned homesites, they must be tough and really worth growing.

Though I'm not the right person to request pictures, since I have not myself yet learned how to post pictures ...

My parents live in SW Florida and I tend "their" gardens when I visit so I have a tropical garden as well. Of course this one doesnt get the attention that my garden at home gets. 2 years ago I found some hipeastrums at Home Depot for like $2 and they are out their in the blazing sun and get choked with weeds between my visits but are doing fine. I know they are flowering when I talk to my parents and they tell me the garden is "very dramatic"

Bergit -

I would love to post a photo of the fragrant one but it's not in bloom and I haven't kept photos from past seasons. One of my goals this year is to keep photos of my collection. Anyway, it's pure white, and very frangrant. Enough that people who don't get very close to it notice. And it came in one of the plain kits you find around the holidays, but I bought it before I knew much about Amaryllis. Since then I've bought Jewel, and none of them have come close to having the strong scent that this one does. In fact, most of the Jewel I have purchased have had no scent, in spite of being touted as fragrant. Offsets also fragrant. I would love to hear any ideas about what it might be. When it blooms this fall I will post photos.

I bought a couple of bulbs on a whim a few years ago and when they started blooming, like KayLakeMan and his wife, I became fastinated by their progress. They both ended up in the studio and I have been painting amaryllis ever since. I find the whole process fastinating, from the first evidence of a scape to the bursting seed pod. The drying flowers are as interesting to me as the fresh ones - I know, not everyone's cup of tea, but I find the forms to be quite beautiful.

So now I have ten and I'm pouring over the catalogues. MORE! MORE!!

mmm.. I just bought my first this year on clearance. I am guessing by the posts that my has already flowered since it has leaves, but I love bulbs and am patient. However after what I've read here, I am getting anxious for next season!

Thanks for sharing the neat stories ya'll! And thanks to Bergit for starting such a fun thread.

This last spring ('05) I went to a church rummage sale, and they had some plants for sale. One had an abundance of long green leaves, and I noticed it grew from a bulb (several, actually; the pot was stuffed). I thought it was nice, and for $2 it was worth a try. I took it home and kept it outside through the summer, wondering what in the world it was. I thought about asking the nice people on Gardenweb what they thought it was, but never got a "round tuit". I left it out a little too long - when it froze outside, I forgot to bring it in. Most of the leaves died, but it had new growth on it and seemed to be doing alright. I took it in and kept it in a somewhat sunny spot. I starting thinking that perhaps it was an amaryllis, and then I thought it could be a crinum. And then, to my delight and curiousity, I saw a scape! As the bud developed, I couldn't tell what color the flower would be. I thought it looked a little orangish, or red. We left for a few days on a short road trip, and when we returned the bud had matured, and I saw what it would be - a beautiful salmon-peach-colored amaryllis! It bloomed, with three blooms on the stem. I tried to identify it by looking in a catalog, but none of them were very similar to it. Now it has gone crazy - there are six more scapes popping up! I took pictures of the blooms, but I don't know how to post them. Any help from the techies, please?
-Tulip

I love stories of how people found this stunning plant and how they care for it! I got my first one from the White Flower Farm catalog; now I know that I paid a fortune relatively speaking! It was a Hercules (still my favorite red) and just looked very easy to raise. I quickly learned that simply buying bulbs and potting them in my own big terra cotta pots was much more economical.

We have a problem in that our property is infested with voles, so am afraid to put my various amaryllises (amarylli?) in the ground. They are all indoors. The problem is worsened because we also have two young, active, and indoor-only cats, and they need access to our windows to watch the birds and sleep in the sun. So I have the amars. in odd places, in our master-bath, under a kitchen window, on one side of the dining room table near the deck door, and on odd little tables next to, but not under windows. The scapes sometimes get a bit tall, but I cope with stakes.

My all-time favorite is Sweet Surrender, surely the most gorgeous flower ever created. However, it does flop over and look untidy, as it is so heavy. On the last one I had, I measured flowers that were 9" across. This year I passed on SweetS to order some new types - Exotica, Pink Diamond, Papilio, Melusine, and an Aphrodite that took forever to show, but is now putting up three strong scapes. Those are in addition to others I always have, Charisma and Lemon-Lime.

I thought that I was an amaryllis expert until I found the Garden Web, and the new amaryllis forum has totally humbled me. Am learning something new every day!

I saw an ad in a gardening magazine once for White Flower Farm. It had a picture of a pretty amaryllis and the phrase, "Nobody does amaryllis like we do". I thought it was neat, so it is now hanging on my wall. The only thing is, it is right by MY amaryllis, and I'm thinking of getting cocky and putting a sticky note over the ad that says "But I do!". Ha ha...
Seriously, I'm sure they know way more than I do about amaryllis; I'm just delighted that mine bloomed and somewhat dumbfounded on how I have managed to keep it alive. I guess they just aren't difficult plants.

They are really great plant and fun to rebloom. I give mine a resting period of about 4 months and the flower scapes appears by the nose ready to bloom...

After last frost I plant the amaryllis bulb w/foliage outdoors in the annual plant fertilizer in full sun and give it plenty of water and fertilizer
{{gwi:17219}}
The leaves will multiply which is a good sign. For every few leaves it means a new set of flowers are being developped inside the bulb. The bulb should increase in size, too{{gwi:17207}}
In fall before first frost, I dig up the amaryllis and leave it for a while. I always let the leaves die back, but I am told I am too fussy and can just cut them off at nose level right away (uhh!){{gwi:17209}}
After 4 months in a cardboard box, the flower scapes and/or leaves usually appear near the tip of the bulb. Then it is time to repot and plant again{{gwi:17211}}
Leaves and scapes will start to grow once repotted and watered. Do not fertilize yet{{gwi:17213}}
Now growth is evident and it is time to start regular fertilizing{{gwi:17215}}
Then it is flower time again{{gwi:17217}}
And it all starts again...{{gwi:17218}}

Hi
Resting period of four month?
Mine do not want to rest. Should I force a rest period or let them keep there green crown through out the year.
ARIF

They don't need a resting period especially in mild climates where they can be kept growing. In my part of the world, the cold temperatures outdoors prevent me from keep them growing and I therefore box them up until they are ready to go again. However, this is a plant which does not need one

Hello
I fell in love with hippeastrum because;
Flower is gorgious.
The plant is very hardy.
No other bulb has so much variety.
Cross breading is a joy.
A very good cut flower.
What else would I want,
ARIF

My "botanical clock" went off a few years ago, and I began gardening with a a huge unrelenting passion. During the spring and until fall, the first thing I do when I come home is dump all my work stuff on the porch and inspect the garden - see what's new, what needs support, do some deadheading etc etc. Come winter, (and here in Quebec it is a long and cold season, and can be very grey) I have gardening withdrawal bigtime, and last year I happily discovered amaryllis. I bought 4 bulbs and was so impressed with their bright and cheerful blooms, shining like beacons of hope against the backdrop of the snowy landscape, that I bought more this year. I did the happy dance recently when last year's Red Peacock began to finally revive (it took ages), now showing 2 scapes. I was so afraid none of last year's bulbs would show again. And yesterday, I shrieked with delight when I came home to see my long-awaited Susan finally burst open with a most gorgeous pink bloom: I have been watching the scape grow to an amazing height for these past weeks - now close to 20 inches, and the bloom is spectacular. Now, when I come home, I dump all my work stuff on the dining-room chair and do an inspection of my amaryllis. I've even begun a journal documenting of what appears when. They give me joy.

Anna

Since the new Amaryllis forum appeared I tend not to visit this one so much.

What an interesting thread!

I can't remember my first amaryllis, I just know that I have always had them. I find there are few flowers to compare with them.

It's tough for a gardener to get through the Maine winters and I always have at least a dozen potted amaryllis on my desk at work, and I usually have flowers from November through May.

Anna I loved reading about your shriek of delight - I did the exact same thing yesterday when I came home and saw my Chico had a scape showing!

I started about 3 years ago , I started grow them for my business partens grandmother who was at the time 96 und could not get out in the garden any more so they were perfect and that the bulbs here are not that expensive, less expensive as cut flowers . I started buying a few bubls every 2 weeks and from September until May they really add up LOL . after they started blooming I thought WOW I can do the same thing for myself then everything was bought double for her and myself. Then came the obsession with the seedlings.

So this is my story!

When my dad bought our house in La, CA about 25 years ago it came with several Amaryllis bulbs planted along the driveway. I dont know what kind but i will definitely put a pic once they bloom again. But they are like red trumpets on a green stalk.

One day maybe when i was like 10 my parents decided to put cement over the strip of dirt where the bulbs were planted.
My uncle was gonna throw the bulbs out but my neighbor saw him and asked if she could have them and he said sure.
Our house was built in 1944 but i have no clue as to how long the bulbs were there.

About three years ago i went over to my neighbors house and she said i could have a pot of the amaryllis bulbs. She had many by now with all the offsets that grew.
I planted them all in a sunny area in my backyard along with another amaryllis plant that grew up out of nowhere.
I woke up one morning, went to my back yard and saw a bright pink flower between some wood and the cement. very unusual place for a flower. I dug it up and it was very deep in the soil. it didnt have any leaves just the stalk and flowers. and the next year nothing grew up. the year after that it was the first amaryllis to bloom again with no leaves. and this year it only grew leaves but no flower :(. im guessing it was planted toooo deep.
It had an offset but i think i put it in my garden somewhere idk.

This amaryllis?, not sure if it is but surely looks like it, is the most beautiful amaryllis that ive seen. its bright pink and had about 6 or 7 flowers on its single purple/brown stalk. I planted it in a differnt area and it did not take well. just yesterday I put it in a pot with good soil and put it in a sunny area. Hopefully it grows back so i can get it identified as well and also pollenate it!!!! I think it has a good chance of surviving. I actually cut a little off the top of the bulb like a couple centimeters or two just so its neater but idk hopefully i didnt kill it.

And about a couple months ago I pollenated all my flowers and I got the 12 + pods of seeds from my neighbor and planted them. I had to throw some into the garden because there were so many.

I actually check my planted seeds every other day and they are taking root so yay!!

I will have a lot! So if annnyone ever wants to trade for other amaryllis bulbs let me know! idk if i can ship bulbs in the mail? Can i? Would i ship it in a little baggie of soil? idk

Well thats how i came to love Amaryllis
and im only 18 so lets see how long my passion lasts. Im guessing forever!

If you have any advice or suggestions please let me knowww :D