Back in January I brought the potted Amaryllis out of the basement, and began the process of bringing the bulbs out of their dormancy and into bloom. You can read about that (here). By the middle of March, eight weeks later, they were starting to push up a few buds, just at the same time the daffodils were pushing up their leaves in the garden, you can see that update (here). Now, a month later, and three months into the process, the bulbs are finally in bloom – both the Amaryllis, the white ones anyhow, and the Daffodils. The red Amaryllis do not look like they want to push up any flower buds this year. Maybe it’s time to repot them (next fall) with a fresh soil/compost/perlite mix. I don’t want to repot them this spring, because that would damage the easily broken leaves, and set them back even more – since they need to gather the energy from the sun all summer, to produce next year’s flowers. I will also set the pots in a sunnier outside location this year, than I had them in last year, in hopes that more sun exposure will help these Central and South American natives produces more flowers next spring. While in bloom, however, it is recommended that the plants be kept out of the direct sun so as to prolong the bloom time.
One out of the three pots decided to bloom this year
The large white blooms look similar the the Easter Lilies (Lilium longiflorum)found for sale in supermarkets at this time of year, however, the Amaryllis do not give off any fragrance as the Easter Lilies do. Though, in my case, my Calamondin Orange (Citrus mitis), a dwarf orange with golf ball sized fruit is currently in flower, as seen in the photo below, and is filling the room with a subtle sweet fragrance at this time. Last winter the tree was covered in fruit, this year, just a few. The tree will go outside after the danger of frost is past. I purchased the tree in 1983 for a few dollars at a local flea market. The only care it receives is consistent watering, applications of acidic liquid fertilizer (Miracid soluable fertilizer) once a month, and the old soil is replaced with new soil every three years, while at the same time pruning some of the roots to keep it from becoming root bound.
Just in time for Easter, the lovely blooms of Amaryllis
Meanwhile outside, the buds of the Daffodils opened at the same time as the Amaryllis this year
