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Make it Green Please

January 19th, 2012

My mom’s always had amaryllises blooming around Christmas ever since I can remember. It was no different this year, she has quite a collection of bulbs that she’s had for a very long time. She even has a few that she’s grown from seed from blooms she hand pollinated a few years ago.


Her amaryllises have always tend towards the red and salmon shades, nice, but not my cup of tea. I prefer something green or maybe white, so I purchased three different kinds of amaryllis bulbs this past fall when I ordered all those tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs.

I ordered ‘Baby Doll’, ‘Green Dragon’, and ‘Evergreen’ amaryllis bulbs, three of each. I gave one of each to my mom and planted the remaining six bulbs in pots. The ‘Evergreen’ started blooming earlier this week and it’s quite lovely; this is not my mother’s amaryllis. It’s perfectly green, just like I was hoping.  My mom, who dislikes green flowers with a passion, didn’t like the green one, but the white ones she said were “OK”.  I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but it does fall from the tree!




Can you believe this is the first amaryllis I’ve ever had? It seems like they’re one of those intro to gardening plants that everyone has grown before.

Do you grow amaryllises? What’s your favorite color?

If you’re looking for great prices on amaryllis bulbs of all colors, shapes and sizes try visiting Van Engelen. They sell in lots of three bulbs, but generally getting three bulbs is cheaper than buying one from other places. Give the other bulbs away as gifts, or find a gardener to go in on the purchase with you. They do have a sister company that sells in single bulb lots, John Scheepers.

16 Comments to “Make it Green Please”
  1. Andrea Duke on January 19, 2012 at 6:41 am

    I have 2 that have not bloomed for 2 years now? They grow very long leaves/stems, but no flower?

    I tend to always like reds, pinks and oranges for my flowers.

    Is that an elephant ear in the 1st picture?

    Reply to Andrea Duke's comment

    • Susy on January 19, 2012 at 8:11 am

      Perhaps I can get my mom to give you some advice on getting them to rebloom. She puts hers outside in the summer sometimes and she lets go really dry to go dormant. Hers rebloom every year, we’ll see if I can get these to rebloom.

      It is an elephant ear, this is the offspring of this beautiful elephant ear that my mom had in her dining room. I also have one of it’s offspring in my bedroom.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Kathi Cook on January 19, 2012 at 7:33 am

    I plant them most years when I remember to pot them up in time. This year I am just getting around to it now. That’s okay, this is when I need flowers the most anyway!

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  3. Texan on January 19, 2012 at 8:44 am

    I plant them in the ground here where we live :O). Mine are mostly dark reds and pinks :O). They will bloom this spring, well if they made it through our horrid heat and drought of last summer. Crossing my fingers! Thus far I am seeing the count of what I lost to not be as bad as I worried. Stuff is starting to bud out etc. Knocking on wood. :O)

    Reply to Texan's comment

  4. Corrie on January 19, 2012 at 9:03 am

    I do love them— all colors. Last year I got a new one for my birthday– a deep, dark, velvety red (not scarlet at all). This year I was given a dark red with white stripes. But really I love all of them. I have tried the reblooming methods from the books and magazines, but what has worked best for me is to just keep watering them and giving them sunshine (outside, in the summer) and in their own time, they bloom again. I like your green one– have admired that one in the catalogs for many years.

    Reply to Corrie's comment

    • Susy on January 19, 2012 at 9:13 am

      I found them very inexpensively from Van Engelen, if you can find a few other gardeners interested or if you need some gifts this is a great source (they come in lots of 3).

      Reply to Susy's comment

  5. daisy on January 19, 2012 at 9:55 am

    How absolutely gorgeous! I’ve never seen a green one!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  6. Jennifer Pack on January 19, 2012 at 10:07 am

    Fantastic that the flower stalks come up before the leaves! I have a few amaryllis that I tried to force for Christmas. They’re not appreciating the climate change from TN to MI and believe it’s still time to rest. Looks like I’ll have Valentine’s blooms instead!

    Reply to Jennifer Pack's comment

  7. Annie on January 19, 2012 at 10:38 am

    This is the first year I have ever tried to grow amaryllis, so you are not alone! Mine are just coming up now because I bought the bulbs at a clearance sale after Christmas. They were so cheap I said, what the heck, if I kill it at least it was cheap!

    Reply to Annie's comment

  8. MAYBELLINE on January 19, 2012 at 11:31 am

    My brother used to give one to my son each year on his birthday (Jan 2). Some how, that tradition has stopped. I like every color really.

    Please take care of that old sewing machine.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

    • Susy on January 19, 2012 at 11:38 am

      Yes that sewing machine gets lots of love, it was my great grandma (who also used it as a plant stand after she got a newer machine). It gets treated with lots of love and care and someday perhaps I’ll get it fixed up and back in working order. You can see a little more of it’s beauty here:

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. Donna B. on January 19, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    If I could get them to rebloom, I would grow more amarylli too!
    [Well, I have a 2nd year bulb that is now starting to leaf out… but no stem yet? I shall hope!]
    I also love the more muted tones – I think the one that I have is a “Red Lion” type, but I haven’t seen it bloom yet so I don’t really know.
    I’m loving that “Evergreen” type, if they had a chartreuse color I’d be growing that RIGHT NOW! hehe! Gayla over at “You Grow Girl” had a “Green Dragon” that bloomed last year, it looked so beautiful!

    I can’t wait to see the progress of your bulbs!

    Reply to Donna B.'s comment

  10. Sincerely, Emily on January 19, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    Oh they are all so beautiful. My mom has always grown amaryllis each year. Sadly, I have not. I know I could plant them straight in the ground here. Maybe I will add it to my list of things to ask mom for when I visit her next time. I think my fav colors would lean towards your moms colors – red, salmon, pinks. I remember my mom’s brilliant red ones.

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

  11. KimH on January 19, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    I’ve never grown amaryllis.. My mother & grandmother used to though.. Mom may still.. I dont know.. I live 1200 miles away from her and you never know whats survived the cats & grand kids.. ;)

    I would probably lean towards white or a soft pink.. I love soft pinks & purples in plants.. and the occasional yellow too..

    I have my great grandmothers sewing machine & cabinet too.. As much as I can see, it looks very similar to yours.. :)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  12. itchbay on January 19, 2012 at 11:46 pm

    I’ve never grown an amaryllis either. Heck, I’ve barely had any indoor plants at all. My cat tends to think of them as his personal salad garden. But I inherited a couple of plants and shelves from a friend who moved recently, and I find that I enjoy tending to them regularly. I might just have to find a cat-proof place for an amaryllis for next year.

    Reply to itchbay's comment

  13. Seren Dippity on January 20, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    When I lived in Houston, I had Amaryllis galore… planted to naturalize in my flowerbeds and in assorted pots. My fave was a bulb of the variety “Apple Blossom” because it was so dependable and made so many baby bulbs that I gave away to friends and family. I had bulbs that rebloomed for years. Moving to Dallas, a good 400 miles north was a bit of a shock. My bulbs don’t naturalize and I’m not having much luck getting them to rebloom. So I’ve begun to think that my skill with Amaryllis that I was so proud of was nothing more than being in the right climate. sigh. I usually treat myself to a new bulb each year for my birthday … good quality bulbs can cost $20 – $30. They are a bit of an indulgence… especially if I can’t count on them to stick around. Here’s a gallery with some of my blooms over the last few years: http://pinterest.com/serendippity/from-my-garden/

    Reply to Seren Dippity's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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