Winter bulbs: Amaryllis

For many years I got a big order of Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs. I've always liked the fragrance; though Mark was less of a fan. I used to put multiple pots of them in the front hall. I loved coming from the cold outdoors and being hit by an explosion of flowers and fragrance. I still have the containers and the pebbles I used to hold the bulbs in place, but it's been years since I bothered with those blooms. I also kept Amaryllis bulbs going and growing for multiple years and then got tired of them as well. 

But I decided to try my hand with Amaryllis again after seeing them in the charming Arthur Parkinson's book earlier this year. It's a gorgeously inspirational book (and so is he)! After much online searching I found a source for three bulbs of the variety 'Mandela' that he displayed in the book. It's a deep, dark red and a far cry from the sweet 'Apple Blossom' bulbs I used to grow.

Until I pulled this pot out of the cool front hall closet, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to watch these bulbs from day to day and even hour to hour. This is what 'Mandela' looked like on November 13th. The pot is in front of a wall of south-facing windows with the curtains drawn to modify the light level.

Arthur Parkinson used willow twigs to create a "fence" to help support the big Amaryllis blooms. 

I used a handful of late season pruning twiglets as you can see on this photo from November 15th.

After we had our roof and gutters blown free of leaves and debris in preparation for winter, I rescued all the tidbits of moss that came down onto the driveway. I thought they would be a fanciful addition to the Amaryllis pot. November 21st.

November 24th at 6:45 a.m.

November 24th at 4:30 p.m.

November 25th

November 28th at 8:30 a.m.

Given the dramatic differences in the heights of the stems and stages of the buds, I should have flowers for quite a while. I am already thinking about summering theses bulbs in the garden; letting them get bigger and bigger and more and more dramatic for next winter.

Comments

[Tracy Rinella]

Oh, your bloom will be gorgeous! I'm a big fan of Amaryllis, I've made the mistake of planting mine late.

[Elizabeth]

How exciting! The flowers are sure to be beautiful and the unfolding is interesting to watch. I like the amendments you made to the pot—the twigs and moss—they finish it just so. It looks lovely. And there is nothing quite like deep red flowers this time of year. Must be the traditionalist in my not-so-traditional soul. I've never had much luck forcing bulbs. There was never any cool, dark place to keep them, nor the right kind of light once they were ready for sunlight. They grew lanky and spindly, with anemic leaves and not too many blossoms. But maybe I should try again. I now have a south-ish facing window and a garage. Who knows? It might work.

[danger garden]

Well done! I considered purchasing a few paperwhite bulbs yesterday and was surprised/not surprised to see how expensive they've become, they were $3.99 ea! I remember buying them for less than a dollar, but then that was many many years ago. Also, thanks for sharing your moss scavenging, I've done the same and even asked neighbor's if I could take the moss their crew had blown to the ground!

[Linda Brazill]

DANGER — I've actually managed to get roof moss attached to some rocks where it is now growing outward.

[Linda Brazill]

ELIZABETH — I think your garage and south-ish window sound like a perfect combination.

[Frank]

Oh that's going to be fantastic! I've tucked a bit of moss around the bulbs here and there, but the twig fence seems like a fun thing to add to it and I may steal the idea as well!
For the most part my bulbs wait until the spring. If I try a bit maybe Easter, but Christmas is never an option!

[Jerry]

I love what you've done. The twigs along with the moss around an emerging flower bulb reminds me so much of spring. I could just gaze into that and forget about the gloomy weather outside.

[Linda Brazill]

JERRY — I had planned to move the pot of Amaryllis to a different spot once the flowers began to open. But it is between the two spots where my husband and I sit every day. Too much fun to watch the flowers to move it.