(underlined words are internet or email links)

The Navarre Garden Club, Flower of the Month for

JANUARY 2005

Amaryllis

"Jungle Judy" brought in two beautiful specimens of the large hybrid Amaryllis. These had been "forced" over Christmas. Judith had mentioned forcing Amaryllis in an earlier club newsletter. At the meeting she said if any club members need more information or help with growing these lovely plants to contact her. She also reminded us that January is a great time to find wonderful Amaryllis bulbs ON SALE!!

The Amaryllis on display at the January meeting are Dancing Queen (on the left). A double and very showy flamboyant layered red and white striped flower. And the other is Elvas, another double with a pale pink and raspberry throat with a raspberry edge. Judith's new favorite!

(That's Carolyn, sitting in for our Club Secretary for the January meeting, in the background, staring intently at the beautiful plants.)

Information on Amaryllis from Judith

"The Amaryllis (official name: Hippeastrum) is one of the most beautiful bulbs to force for the holiday season. This plant originally came from tropical South America but can be grown in our flowerbeds here in Navarre, or forced to bloom inside.

Before forcing your bulbs, place each one in a container filled with lukewarm water for a couple of hours.This encourages root formation. I do not cover the top of my bulb with water.

To plant the bulbs select a pot that is only slightly wider that the width of the bulb plus two fingers spaces between the bulb and the side of the pot. They like to be pot bound. Make sure you have a drainage hole in the bottom of your pot. Fill the pot with good potting soil and place the bulb on top. Then add just enough potting soil so that at least half of the bulb is exposed above the soil surface. Be careful not to break off your wet roots extending from the bottom of the bulb when resting the bulb in the soil. Lightly water so that your potting soil is evenly moist.

It will take about 6 to 8 weeks for your bulb to send up a flower stem. Place your pot in a warm room with light. Do not water much until you see the stem emerging. Then you may water more frequently. Some amaryllis may send up a very long stem and will require staking. Your bloom should be beautiful. Move your Amaryllis to a cooler part of the room now and turn your pot daily so your flower stem will not lean to the light. Remove any spent flowers as they fade to prevent seedpods from forming. When the bloom period is over still water and feed your amaryllis regularly to produce good foliage and to enlarge the bulb. Remove the old flower stem by cutting it off about one inch from the top of the bulb.

You may place your plant in the flowerbed after all chances of frost are gone. Add a little bonemeal to the top few inches of soil around the bulb when planting. If you want to keep your amaryllis in a pot bring it back indoors after the foliage has died around September and store it in a cool and dry location out of direct sunlight until signs of growth reappear. While in storage discontinue watering and feeding the bulb to prevent rot. In about two months you will see new growth from the bulb and you may start the process all over again.

I like to use new potting soil for each growing season. Bulbs that I buy on sale after Christmas I force inside each year and then place in my Amaryllis bed in the spring. Big bulbs that are double or special in some way and that I paid $10 or more for, I keep in a flowerpot. I have more control over them and can protect them better.

You will have many years of enjoyment from any you select. "

Judith

Data from your WebMaster

The Amaryllidaceae is the family of amaryllis and related plants. Members of the giant group Lilianae, the amaryllids are mostly bulbous plants, although some have a rhizome. The flowers are bisexual and quite regular; they characteristically appear in umbels at the top of a leafless stalk, the scape. The leaves are all produced from the base of the plant; most species are deciduous, but Clivia is evergreen. (Discussion based on V.H. Heywood, "Flowering Plants of the World" Mayflower Books, New York, 1978.)

Besides the familiar Dutch Hybrid amaryllis (Hippeastrum), other members of this family include the daffodils (Narcissus), snowdrops (Galanthus), rain lilies (Zephyranthes), nerines (Nerine), the Aztec lilies (Sprekelia), Lycoris, spider lilies (Hymenocallis), and crinums (Crinum). Also members of this family are the blood lilies (Haemanthus and Scadoxus), the aztec lily (Sprekelia) and the clivias (Clivia). Cyrtanthus is a genus of tropical and southern Africa which includes the well-known Scarborough Lily. Hymenocallis, the white spider lilies, are native to Central American, Mexico, and the Southern United States.

The boundaries of the amaryllis family are sometimes stretched or shrunk to include other related groups. In any case, plants such as the onions and the daylilies appear to be closely related cousins although not in the amaryllis family proper.

Some great photos of "Dutch Hybrid" Amaryllis can be seen at http://www.shieldsgardens.com/amaryllids/hippeastrum.html

http://www.amaryllis.com/pac.htm ... a commercial web site but interesting information

 

Judith gave away a young Amaryllis as our door prize this meeting. That's Elvas in the front of the picture.