VALERIE’S VIEW from the Greenhouse!

AMARYLLIS!   

The amaryllis never fails to break the gloom of winter and provides pleasure with its beautiful blooms, especially with all the snow that has fallen lately. The Dutch were considered the world leaders in creating new varieties of hybrids and cultivars. Today, amaryllis come to us from the Netherlands as well as South Africa.

I most remember the Amaryllis from my childhood. Mom would pick up a bulb or two in October and plant them so that they would bloom at Christmas. She usually had 3 or 4 bulbs growing from the previous seasons. As the stocks grew on the various plants, we children would track the growth each day using a ruler and marking the ½ inch or so down on a tablet, reporting our measurements to Mom. As time came closer to Christmas, the pot(s) would get moved to a cooler room if they needed to be slowed down or moved to a warmer sunnier room if they were growing too slow. To our amazement there would be at least one or two stocks with blooms on each plant by Christmas day. Years later, my sister is still making some of Mom’s old amaryllis bloom.

We still have a few bulbs left of Amaryllis that have not been potted up. We also have a selection of Paperwhites potted and not potted. Come see what has come in and get started in order to have those blooms by Christmas. Enjoy the snow.

HAPPY GARDENING!