Late to the Party

I planted the five amaryllis bulbs in the garden last summer to allow them to regenerate. They all seemd to enjoy the warm weather and remained healthy-looking into fall. No new growth appeaered on any following their intiial flush of leaves after blooming in winter.

I lifted them before the frost came, and left them in the cool dark baseemnt so they could go to sleep. But, they were insomniacs. For months on end the leaves remained green and lush in their new soil-less home. No water, no sunlight, but they looked to be happy and in good condition.

I noticed a little yellowing and wilting of some leaves in January, so I cut them off and with fingers crossed, potted the bulbs. This was really later than I expected to get them into bloom mode. But, four of the five put up flower stalks, and two of them put up two.

This one, 'Mandela' is the newest and the last of the bunch to bloom. Its dark maroon-red flower and somewhat shorter stalks are things I will look forawrd to next year. It would be nice to have them blooming at Christmas, so I think the lesson is to get them out of the garden in September and pot them up in November.

Getting Better At It

A few years ago, I resloved to get any amaryllis to bloom again. My attempt did not work the first year. The scond year, I planted it in the garden in spring. It bloomed there in late summer, but not in winter.

Never giving up, the follow year I did the same, but tried to keep the bulb's schedule closely aligned with the season. I did eek out a small bloom then. Last year, with four bulbs now in the ground during the summer, I watered and fertilized them up the wazoo. After bringing them into the basement when frost hit, they stayed in the dark with no water from October on.

Die, damn it. Die! These little suckers continued to stay green well into January. Last month, they began to wilt and turn yellow. That was my clue. After wacking off the leaves, I planted them, gave them water and sun, and now have three of the four with buds or blooms. This double-flowered one, 'Double Delicious', was a gift last year and is doing great. The other two are coming along at different stages.

Double Delicious

It's Christmas and this present was a bulb with a few pointed blips beginning. 'Double Delicious' has now blossomed into an adult. Brilliant red, and not double as its name suggests, but in reality a triple blooming amaryllis.

Notice the multiple blooms on one stem, and the second, shorter stem coming along. Also, althrough these are beautiful abd plentiful, there are other buds along the top waiting to take the place as these die off.

March 2021 Bloom Day

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day
What's blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month

It's been almost a year since I posted something. Much time was spent working on an investment house last year, and then surgery, and then beginning a gardening Instagram account. I really like Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, so let's start blogging again.
There is not much springing in spring yet, but here are a few items found.

Yes, I know. Just a crocus. But, these crocuses were in the original gardens when I moved here over 30 years ago. They pop up in different places and in different gardens each year.

Extremely fragrant, jasmine-like, early-blooming white forsythia of the olive family.



Hellebores - I thought there was one color when I picked it up at a plant swap.





Mahonia

Unknown amaryllis bulb picked up at a plant swap and planted in the ground last spring. Brought indoors in the fall, it surprised me by finally blooming now.

Find other garden bloggers' posts at May Dream Gardens

New Year's Resolutions

There are ten New Years Resolutions for the garden and the garden blog. It is winter, after all, and there is little garden to blog about. Now that the holidays are behind and the garden catalogs hint of fascinating and exciting things to come, visiting other blogs and comparing plans for the growing season are anticipated.

1. Post thoughts and gardening results on the blog more than once a month, even if no one reads them.
   
   
2. Start working on getting the poinsettia to bloom earlier in the fall, to be sure it blooms in time for Christmas, instead of later at New Year's.
   
   
3. Same goes for the amaryllis.
   
   
4. Keep working in the garden into August, instead of losing ambition, telling myself I need to sit back and enjoy it, while slowly watching it wane.
   
   
   
5. Create a map of where things are planted instead of planting items on top of others that have not come up yet, or slicing into dormant bulbs with planting trowels when planting annuals.
   
   
6. Clean my garden tools after using them instead of thinking they will be used again soon, or thinking cleanliness doesn't matter, or thinking they will clean themselves.
   
   
7. Keep trying to grow those uncooperative and challenging flora that have never succeeded in my garden but do in others, instead of giving up and moving on to something new.
   
   
8. Finish development of the Garden Inventory page of my blog.
   
   
9. Develop New Year's resolutions at New Year's Day, instead of a week later.
   
   
10. Don't develop ten resolutions if ten resolutions are not needed or can't be kept.

Christmas In August

In November of last year, I fretted over planting an amarylis bulb right before Thanksgiving. I started up a bunch of paper whites about the same period during the previous year, resulting in Christmas and New Years blooms. However, I was worried about starting the amaryllis at this time - too late since they take a lot longer to get their butts in gear. Thanksgiving, I thought, was too late. Christmas was without bloom, but at my New Years open house, the amaryllis (Hippeastrum) was in in full glory.

I know something about bulbs, and how they need their foliage to redevelop the bulb package for next year's bloom. Armed with that fact and the techniques found on the Internet about getting an amaryllis to bloom again, I placed my new 4-leaf foliage plant on the outdoors deck in the early spring after the blooms had faded and withheld water.

The foliage did not get any prettier. I left it lie dormant for another month, and then planted it in the vegetable garden. The hope was that it would grow foliage during the summer and replenish the bulb in time for another Christmas bloom this year (after a fall dormancy.)

Leaves began growing again. Then, the darn thing started blooming in the garden last week! And, it's got two small side shoots - cute new baby amaryllis plants. Quite a surprise! A few notes about this South African native: First, the flower stalks are easily knocked down by wind and just plain rain, which makes the flowers too heavy for their stalks. I am now using a support. Second, the flowers are lasting a very long time! Third, I believe the flower color is a more vibrant red than when it bloomed indoors. Is that possible?

So now what? The plans need to be modified. When the flowers die down, I will let the foliage continue into the fall. Hopefully, that will also die down in time. Then, after digging it up, it will be planted indoors at the beginning of November for another Christmas bloom. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

For The Record:   • Good garden soil   • Mostly full sun   • Small amount of fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease   • Leaves have some light colored spots Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, zinnia, cosmos, zephyranthes,     belacamda, nicotiana   • Harvested: 5 hungarian peppers, 8 cucumbers, lots of tomatoes