Extended Gift: Amaryllis

A dear friend, knowing I was likely to have some dreary winter days ahead, had the foresight, good taste and generosity to give me a gift certificate for bulbs for my birthday last summer.  Sometime in the fall, when the days were getting shorter and the leaves were falling like raindrops, I ordered 4 enormous amaryllis bulbs from a magical place called White Flower Farm.  

I spent days perusing the catalog filled with photos of spring blooming bulbs and my beloved giant amaryllis.  It was hard to choose, and had I been fully employed and with cash to spare, I would have ordered a plethora of spring bulbs for my garden;  but I chose wisely and within the confines of my wonderful gift.   Because I was saving them for January and February blooming, by which time I knew I would be tired of Christmas red, I chose springy pale pinks such as the Apple Blossom and the most dramatic --- Aphrodite.  

The bulbs arrived quickly and in good order.  Each was in a paper bag bulging with pent-up energy.  I saved them, planting them in pots a few weeks apart so that I would be able to extend their splendor.  Sure enough that has happened.  

I have been enjoying amaryllis beauty for several weeks.  In addition to the birthday bulbs, I purchased a few locally when they went on sale after Christmas.  They have not been as prolific.  One-stalkers, they were red and looking very out of season.  

The third stalk of Aphrodite

The Aphrodite bulb is true to her name - she is sensual, beautiful and sexy.  The pinkish flowers are outlined in a veiny dark pink and it has magnificent presence.  Five blooms are in the process of unfolding from each of two stalks.  And there is a third stalk miraculously beginning to appear at the base of the bulb.  I have never seen a bulb with three blooming stalks.  This is going to be one drawn-out gift!

If you have read my blogs before, you know that there are lessons here.  I'll keep it short.  After a while, the lessons are just repeats.  After all, we never learn everything the first time, and we do have our transgressions.  

Lessons from the Amaryllis

• Size matters.   My gigantic birthday bulbs out-produced the Christmas ones 2:1.
• It's worth the wait.  It takes weeks and weeks from plantinguntil the flowers slowly unfold. 
• Drinking too much is never a good idea.  If you over-water your bulbs, they will rot and die.
• Morning light transforms.   Light shining through the leaves is just the most exquisite thing to see.
• Top-heavy usually means an upheaval is about to occur.  The heaviest one ended up on its side with soil scattered everywhere.
• Beauty brightens the darkest days.  The amaryllis have been such a cheerful focus on some dreadfully cold and damp days.
• God sometimes hides beauty behind an ugly outside to teach us a lesson.  From ugly old bulbs come the most amazing flowers.
• Gift giving is very personal and can have lasting rewards.  Try giving a gift of bulbs to someone special. It really is a great way to stretch a celebration.
• Nature provides endless learning opportunities.  I am still learning how to get the bulbs to produce again in subsequent years.  I'm hopeful my birthday bulbs will not disappoint and be back to brighten my winter days next year.  

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About White Flower Farm.  Really this isn't a commercial. I am just a happy customer and this is part of the story.   The farm was purchased in the 1930's by two writers who bought "a little place in the country" in Litchfield, Connecticut.   Their hobby grews over the years and in the 1970's the farm was purchased by Eliot Wadsworth,  who owns it today.  They have a huge selection of plants and bulbs.  One thing I like about their amaryllis is that they guarantee each will produce two flower stems.  That's quite a gift.  If you are fortunate enough to live in a more tropical climate you can grow your own amaryllis outdoors.  They sell bulbs for outdoor use and claim they might naturalize under the right conditions.