A Little Color in a White World..

Only one who has had an amaryllis really understands the "anticipation" as you watch this wonderful bulb produce its regal blooms atop towering stalks. Several weeks ago, after my Christmas red amaryllis had finished blooming (2 stalks and 8 blooms), I cut the stalks down and resigned myself to watching the (somewhat boring) leaves grow. Just a few days later, I noticed something else...could it be? In another day or two it became clear that yes, it was another bud. I had never seen this happen before (and I have had quite a few amaryllis over the years).








So I've been enjoying the entire process again, from the same bulb. Lucky me!! Now in full bloom, it has reached a height of  19.5 " from pot edge to tip of blossom. These are such amazing plants, well worth the investment. There are days when you truly feel you can see them growing. Once the bud cracks open to reveal the tightly furled petals, it is several more days before they actually open; you can watch things "shift into place" as each vertical bloom bud moves down into a horizontal position so each large funnel-shaped blossom will have space to open. Nature is amazing, for sure...

Watching the daily growth progress, seeing the buds crack open and the petals "color up",  the petals open into the huge blossoms, the entire thing is one of nature's  miracles. I am always fascinated by the long slender stamens, tipped with pollen covered anthers. The petals are velvety and there is more "variation" in the red coloring than shows here.








Even the back side of the blooms is interesting, don't you think? Look at the coloring - how the red shades almost to a purple... If I was a little buzzy bee, I'm sure I would be attracted to this beauty if it was in the garden!! Wouldn't you?

Amaryllis (pronounced am-a-RILL-iss) is a small genus of flowering bulbs with two species. The better known of the two species, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa. They are widely available in early winter, often already potted up in time for Christmas blooming.

And.... I have another bulb sprouted; I'm not sure which one it is, so the blossom color will be a surprise. (I should label the pots.) So stay tuned for more photos - I'm happy to share some more of nature's beauty with you... especially in the midst of winter.

Peace,
Linda

"Nature is the art of God." ~ Dante