Amaryllis belladonna in full bloom

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:16:16 PDT
In discussions we have had on this list, most people have not been 
able to get Amaryllis belladonna to bloom when grown in pots, but Nhu 
and Jacob are very good growers. It's blooming here farther north 
in  California than Shirley and Nhu so I need to look up Nhu's data 
base and add it. Usually it starts to bloom in the south and moves 
north slowly, but this year I saw a spike on July 17 which seems really early.

In spite of living where it blooms in profusion I don't have much 
luck with getting blooms on my property. I thought this was because I 
have too much shade. I've reported in the past that they bloom better 
in South Africa after a fire clears out the vegetation and there was 
a patch that bloomed on a hillside here after a fire that I didn't 
realize was there until the fire. It bloomed the second year too, but 
now is covered in Vinca and other weedy plants so will see it is 
continues to bloom. So if Jim brings his pot indoors would he need to 
be sure there was plenty of light?

I grew some in a large pot for years without seeing a flower and 
finally planted them in the garden. Every year the leaves would 
appear, but never any flowers. But this year there is one spike on 
one of them. I think there are three clumps in different spots in the 
same area. I don't pay much attention to them. I purchased these more 
than 20 years ago.  There is another spike in another spot I don't 
remember ever blooming before either. Why are they going to bloom this year?

Mary Sue




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