Amaryllis belladonna 1st emergence of stalks

M Robertson dr.mas.roberts@gmail.com
Fri, 17 Aug 2018 17:57:28 PDT
Like Andrew, I too find Amaryllis belladonna shy to bloom. I mistakenly followed a garden book recommendation when I moved from Riverside County (Sunset Zone 18), to Placer County California (Sunset Zone 9a). Typically there is no rain from the end of May to the middle of September in both areas. My A. belladonna bulbs had flowered regularly in Riverside next to the lawn where they got regular water. When I moved north to Placer Co., I planted the bulbs as advised “in the warmest area where they will get baking heat in summer, preferably against a south wall,” “they only need as much moisture as nature gives them.” So I put them against a wall on the south side of the house. Most days June-September are above 32oC (90F), and several times per summer we get whole weeks with high temps above 40oC (104F). The bulbs must get even hotter with reflected heat in full sun. The bulbs grow well in winter under these conditions and multiply rapidly. However, they rarely send up flower spikes, and when they do, they are stunted and sometimes the buds fail to open. I finally saw a PBS thread suggesting that A. belladonna needs some summer water, so I moved some of the bulbs where they could get occasional summer irrigation. Only the bulbs that got water several times per week this summer are just now blooming. Even those that were watered twice per month May - August have not bloomed (yet?). A. belladonna will grow and multiply under typical interior California summer conditions, but for me, they don’t bloom without a lot of water. I will keep experimenting. Also, does anyone have suggestions for getting hybrid A. belladonna crossed with Lycoris squamigera to flower? I have some hybrid bulbs I bought from the University of California Riverside botanical garden 18 years ago that grow and multiply but have never bloomed. 
Mark
Roseville, CA 

> On Aug 17, 2018, at 2:39 PM, , via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
> 
> I have a long swath of them, they are starting to bloom.  The are in some shade under elm trees, don't get much water at all.  The few in other spots where they are in sun have bloomed but those in the large stretch are just starting to bloom.  Those nearest the edge of the line of elm trees get more sun and open first.  When I notice the first few blooming, I always water the rest which seems to help them come along.  All of them in bloom is quite a sight to see.
> Carolyn in Los Gatos CA
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew <andrew@avonia.com>
> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>
> Sent: Fri, Aug 17, 2018 8:13 am
> Subject: [pbs] Amaryllis belladonna 1st emergence of stalks
> 
> This is the time of year when there are usually reports of the A. belladonna in bloom. So, I wonder why there has been only one so far, particularly from central and northern California. In the southern areas of the state,  except for a very cautious offering last year after heavy spring rains, it has not bloomed at all for years. With me, blooms appear only if the bulbs are watered heavily during the summer. The lack of rains has caused the old, large clumps to shrink and desiccate. When and how much they bloom in this area has nothing to do with temperature. It is dictated by water.
> 
> Andrew
> San Diego
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 Mark Robertson, Ph.D.
        916-243-5616





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