Week 17, Year 3: Amaryllis Update

My first foray into spring bulbs is going pretty well, though there have been a couple surprises along the way.  The colder weather returned shortly after planting, and I was not seeing any growth, so I brought the amaryllis inside -- which proved to be the right decision.I was a little worried they wouldn't get enough sun on our mantle, but it turns out the indirect sunlight must be the perfect complement to amaryllis. By the third week, 5 inch tall stalks had shot out of both pots, and a bud had already formed in one of them.

Just 15 days later, the plants had soared to 18 inches tall and we had bright red blossoms from the first bloomer.

Plus, a surprise -- I was a bit flummoxed when I woke up one morning and saw this bud emerging from the second pot - a white and pink hybrid.

When I purchased the bulbs, they were in a bin and I assumed both would be red. So, when these white and pink variegated buds emerged, I was happily surprised.

The two bulbs looked identical in their early days, but I've learned that no two amaryllis are the same.  The red amaryllis' first bud featured four kitty corner trumpet-shaped flowers sharing a single stalk. Plus, another bud is just about to open. The white amaryllis came second, but only has one bud so far with just two opposing flowers sharing the stalk.  Neither seems to be done growing, but now that they have bloomed  it's best to keep them out of direct sunlight to keep the blooms fresh. So, it seems like the fireplace is still the right spot.

I've also learned how tall amaryllis really are. I knew from pictures they would be tall, but it's hard to imagine how tall 18-24" really is until you've seen them. My plants shot up to 24" in less than a month. Both are now listing to the right (toward the sunlight) and I'm wondering if I need to stake them. Their stalks seem pretty hardy but I would hate for them to tip or break. 

In terms of care, I would recommend these to anyone. Growing amaryllis could not be easier. They require little water when indoors and the only maintenance I've done to date was to cut the little pollen buds off the flowers just to prevent them from falling on the carpet and becoming (potentially poisonous) prey for our cats.  

Now that preseason training is done, I feel warmed up and ready to dive into the gardening season this May ...

Week 11, Year 3: An Early Taste of Spring

Wisconsin has been blessed with temperatures of 70 degree this week. Although I had not even intended to start my garden until late May, I could not resist the early opportunity to plant. I've been busy this winter and attended my first garden show. It was pure heaven for the avid gardener and I picked up a couple of great experiments for this year's garden. I tend to stay away from bulbs and perennials because my containers do not lend themselves to winter maintenance. However, I decided to venture into unchartered territory and picked up two bulbs. I had intended to plant them in April, but I was too eager to make use of the early sunshine that I planted them this weekend.

One of my favorite flowers is the Amaryllis. It is typically an early spring indoor bloomer, which is why I've stayed away from it. However, a fellow gardener told me that you can plant amaryllis anytime of year and that her mother enjoyed the blooms and foliage in her garden into late summer. So, I figured I would give it a shot. The second bulb variety was a ballerina begonia in apricot. These should be beautiful trailers in early summer.

Having never planted bulbs before, I did a little research ahead of time to settle on a game plan. I decided to plant the begonia in one pot and the amaryllis separately.

Begonias

I planted the begonia first and encountered the first problem - I wasn't sure which side was up and which side was down. The instructions stated the "pointy end" should face up, but my bulbs were more of a lima bean shape.

After a close inspection, I decided the side with little tubers coming up was "up" and it seemed like the other side had enough roots to justify making it "down".

The instructions suggested the roots needed room to grow. So, I filled about two thirds of my pot with soil and nestled the bulbs on top. I covered the bulbs and filled the rest of the pot. I finished with a good soaking.

Amaryllis

The amaryllis did not come with instructions, so I had to rely on Google. The good news was that it was clear which side was up and which was down.

However, Google suggested I needed to soak the bulbs for two hours first. Frankly, I was too eager to wait and I decided to skip the step - hopefully, I don't pay for it later. Since these bulbs were a bit further along, I nestled them a bit deeper in the soil than the begonias. I used the same organic potting mix and filled the pots to the top, following with a good soak.

Regardless of whether these bulbs succeed or fail, it was wonderful to be gardening in early March in Wisconsin. I'm sure we'll be back to blizzards in a week, but this early release from cabin fever will certainly get me through it.