Almost
>> Friday, January 25, 2013 –
flowers,
houseplants
Remember the Amarylis bulbs I talked about a few weeks ago? They're almost ready to bloom.
Another day or two and they should be in full flower. Very exciting when the winter is dragging on and there's not much going on in the garden (except deer).
I know a lot of people like to have these blooming around the holidays, but for me that's just too early. I'd rather get the burst of color when I really need it, and I timed it pretty well this year.
One of the two plants is quite leafy, while the other has produced two flower stalks:
Thinking back now, it may do this most years -- it's difficult to remember.
That double-stalk plant is the one that has produced the offset too:
I love having these in the kitchen window, because I can really watch the development of the flowers.
They added quite a bit of color in just one day:
To me, watching a large, intricate bloom unfold is one of the best things about growing plants, and these will be satisfying me quite soon!
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Once they finish flowering, you could try drying out the seeds and planting them to get more plants. I have always removed the flower head so the energy goes back into the new bulbs on my amaryllis, but I think it may be interesting to let them go to seed.
Awesome! Every winter I mean to get an amaryllis because it's so wonderful to watch the flower stalk grow, but every winter I forget...
I've gotten some seedlings...they are drabber versions of "Mom". Here they've just shed their leaves and the bloom stalks will appear some time in April. Lovely photos, as usual.