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Hippeastrum hybrids |
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| A very promising bud, mid-March |
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| In full bloom, late March |
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Common name |
amaryllis |
Family |
amaryllidaceae |
Life cycle |
perennial |
Flowers |
various colors |
After enjoying many amaryllis bulbs indoors in winter, I decided to try planting one outdoors now that I live in a climate where it stands a chance of survival. So our bloomed-out potted bulb went into a garden border in late winter, and spent the year with its broad leaves unobtrusively soaking up the sunlight. Winter knocked it back a bit, to where it looked a little iffy by mid-January. I nearly gave up on it, but then it sprang back to life and vigor, sending up a stout flowering stem in mid-March, giving rise to magnificent flowers a couple weeks later – at least as nice as the indoor ones the previous year. Then it surprised us by putting up another flower stalk about a week later, which the indoor ones never do for me. So I think I'll start a modest collection of amaryllis – for variety in shape and color, I may need to look beyond the local Trader Joe's next year.
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| Second flower stalk, a week or so after the first |
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| Bursting seed pods – this being a sterile hybrid, the flimsy black seed cases are all empty, but it still looks cool |
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Sure enough, next year I purchased a few different bulbs from an online supplier. Not all of them bloomed, and at least one was a different variety from what I ordered, but in early spring they all went into the garden, in various locations, hoping for some pizzazz next spring. Below, I collect photos taken from the potted bulbs indoors, which I'll remove as I capture them in bloom in ourdoor locations.
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| 'Moon Scene' |
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| 'Elvas' |
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| 'Blossom Peacock' |
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| 'Santiago' |
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| 'Dancing Queen' |
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| 'Gervase' |
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| 'Ruby Star' |
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| 'Pink Pizzazz' |
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| 'Estella' |
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This one's a bit of a mystery: I ordered 'Ferrari' online, and received a bulb that produced the flowers shown in the picture above left as an indoor Christmas display, with a strong white streak. That looked much more like 'Red Peacock' (sold by the same outfit), so I figured it was just mislabeled. I planted it outside, and it bloomed the following April (photo above right) – but this time, the white streaks were missing at first, and came in much more subtly after a few days, so it looks more like 'Ferrari'. I like both flower forms, so all is well.
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| Out in the garden, the foliage grows tall by mid-summer |
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| I was originally concerned that amaryllis bulbs, having been bred for a magnificent Christmas display, would peter out year after year in the garden, much like most tulips do. But this has not been the case: in its third year of returning in spring, our original red specimen is stronger than ever, producing six individual flowers (up from four) on each stem |
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| 'Clown' was the first to bloom in April 2022 |
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| 'Minerva' followed about a week later: similar color and vein pattern, but different petal shape. The red color doesn't seem quite as saturated as on the previous years' indoor blooms |
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| 'Glee' about to open with striking buds, April 2022... |
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| ...and open the next day |
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| This one, whose name I didn't record, made a surprise appearance in late October... |
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| ...then repeated the following April |
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| 'Misty' did not bloom in the two years after I set it out in the garden, but finally did in the third spring |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following areas: back fence border, waterfall pondside, left fence border, foundation border About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Hippeastrum hybrids
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Last modified:
February 08, 2025
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