Lycoris squamigera & Amaryllis belladonna

Leo A. Martin leo@possi.org
Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:57:50 PDT
Brad wrote
> ...Ontario, Canada. Zone 5b..... I planted four Amaryllis
> belladonna bulbs in a large pot in May..... The intent is to
> bring the pot into my cold storage once fall comes. By cold,
> it will average +/- 40 F and may slip to 32 F a couple of
> times. (This has worked well for me with Oxalis sp.)
> I am anxiously waiting for something (anything) to emerge
> from this pot. Am I on the right track?

Do you mean you are going to grow them in cold storage under supplemental lighting? Or
are you going to try and store them cool all winter and grow them in the spring? This
plant is an obligate winter-grower that goes dormant with hot and dry weather, blooms in
late summer, makes leaves in the fall as temperatures cool down, is in leaf throughout
its expected cool, mild and rainy (not snowy) winter, and goes dormant again when it
gets hot in the spring. It will not be dormant in cold storage - it will try and grow,
no matter what you do. It considers 40F to be an ideal growing temperature. It is
dormant during hot and dry weather. It is from a Mediterranean climate, and people in
Continental climates don't seem to be able to grow it at all, with the exception perhaps
of Jim Waddick.

> ...I had never considered Lycoris sp. for planting directly
> in the garden. Has anyone ever planted these in the garden in
> Zone 5 or 6?

L. squamigera is supposed to be the hardiest and it is supposed to grow to zone 5a. It
is from a typical Continental climate with moderate humid rainy summers and cold
winters.

Of note, Jim Waddick has produced a document available on our Wiki that covers
cold-hardiness of various Lycoris species. It sounds as though Brad should try some.

http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/…

Leo Martin
Phoenix Arizona USA




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