Blooms from Mamajacks' Coop - CHAPTER 2

We all came from here...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1063751/#new

This thread is for sharing bloom reports & photos... It's also a good place to post photos of any mis-bloomers so you can maybe get them ID'd.

Willow Creek did have some supplier issues, and while the bulbs shipped were big & healthy, some names got mixed up.

They are going over & above to make this right.

If any of your amaryllises from the co-op don't bloom true to name, please read this post from one of WC's owners: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=7435405. They need to hear from you by the end of Feb. in order to square things with their supplier. Contact them by next month even if all your bulbs haven't bloomed by then.

If you look through the previous thread, you'll see certain bulbs are emerging as most likely to be other than the variety ordered. Even if you are happy with a pretty bloom regardless, please let Willow Creek know if any don't bloom true for you... that's info they need.

I'm having a great time with my amaryllises!

Thanks for the reminder, critter.

Siren first bloomed Christmas Day and here's today bloom. The stalk is much taller this time at about 2'.

That look stunning, fruitofthevine!

gorgeous!

Does anyone know why the flower stalks would be longer? My blooms don't stay together like those, they flop apart so I don't get that lush look. Not enough light? Or just species differences?

It's so nice to have blooms inside in the dead of Winter. A real pick-me-up!

I don't know about the stalk heights either, grrrlgeek or why your blooms are flopping apart. How warm is the room they're in and how much light do they get? Mine are in a NW window in indirect sunlight, such as it is these days, and the temp is 70-72 degrees. I'd like to know the answer to your stalk question too, and can somebody fill me in why some produce buds before leaves?

Here's a bud today on a 10" stalk that should be Benfica. Actually there's two stalks and buds but the other one is very short and hasn't yet begun to open. Will post a pic of the blooms in a few days.

Does anybody else have blooms to share?

Mine are at max of 68 degrees, in front of either west facing and on a heat mat(before buds color) or east facing (when they start to bloom) patio doors. Some of it I'm sure is which cultivar it is, but also I wonder why some of my buds on the same stalk take so much longer than the others. May be not enough water in the beginning; I was paranoid.

Getting a bunch of Lemon Lime on these two, can't really see the sparkles in person, the flash brings them out

And a bunch of Red Peacock on this one with the funky buds (again, not enough water when forming?) with a larger older one in back

My Red Peacock from Willow Creek seem to be blooming on short (but very sturdy) stems also... lovely blooms, however! I don't htink it hasmuch to do with growing conditions now (all plants are being treated very similarly), I think it's a difference in something that happened with them the past season (when the flowers were forming inside the bulb).

That Lemon Lime pic looks nice, but there's a lot more color in the flowers than that. I will get a shot without flash tomorrow.

The sugaring effect and just a hint of Pink around the edges is so pretty. Most of the time I look for dramatic color blooms or forms in any plant, but I'm really liking the creamy white / green Amaryllis like Snowdrift, Picotee, Emerald and your Lemon Lime.

There's actually more color in the petals but I can't seem to get a good pic of it. The camera washes it out, even without flash. I can adjust the color to the correct green, but I can't get more color in the petals with editing. Meh.

When the sun hits my h. Jewel, the diamond dust is fantastic looking, almost blinding. Some daylilies have this characteristic too. It is too lovely. Maybe other type of flowers have it too. If yes, I haven't notice. It is very noticeable on hippies and DLs.

I agree, always saved the term 'diamond dusted' for DL's until I got these Amaryllis.

I wish I could capture the true, deep red of Benfica but whatever, it is a gorgeous flower with the sun shining through.

Thanks, vossner & pixie for reminding me the shimmer is called diamond dust. A few of my DL's also have it.

How stunning, ardesia. Hope my blooms in a few days are as gorgeous as yours.

OK, next year I'm adding 'Jewel'. :-)

Pixie, what is that red-trimmed white cutie?

Well Jill, im not sure! lol It's labled 'Rembrandt Van Rijn ' but it doesn't look like the pictures. It's lovely what ever it is. ^_^

Backside shot

Maybe the Willow Creek folks will be able to ID it for you... Could it be Picotee? Seems like a lot of their mislabeled bulbs are actual named cultivars, just not what they're supposed to be. (I have Exotic Star instead of Papillion and Bogota instead of Ruby Meyer.)

The one I have labeled as 'Bogota' bloomed. It's my first one that seems to be incorrect but it looks exactly like the bud and blooms that were posted by fruitofthevine and pixie.

It has a short stalk and a small bloom but it's still very pretty. I'm always happy to see anything blooming this time of year.

Here it is in the sun. Any ideas?

Not sure of the real ID of that one, Dyane... but if you ordered a 'Ruby Meyer' you might still have a real 'Bogota' in your collection! (My 'RM' bloomed as 'Bogota', definitely different than what you have there.)

Well, an update from the Amaryllis novice. LOL Remember on the first thread, I said I dug mine up, cut off the frozen stalks and buds, and re potted them and brought them inside. I thought surely I have killed them. Ya'll ought to see them all now, even the one that didn't have any roots when I dug it up. Some of the stalks are 25" tall and many of the 13 have buds about to open. I am going to HAVE to go buy me a camera, cause in a few days, they will be blooming. Then I'll be able to tell what is what. Anyway, are amaryllis just seasonal or can you grow them inside all the time? When the temps went back up 3 days ago to the 60's I brought them outside in their containers for fresh air. But If the temps dive again, inside they will come. I said I wasn't going to play musical plants this year, but these babies are so pretty, it's worth it.

Mama, how did yours do outside in the cold?

as far as i can tell they're ok. i still have some of my amaryllis in a box. lol. i did feel some of the bulbs the other day that are outside and they are still firm.

people do grow amaryllis inside i think. but i don't so can't help you.

what? Ella, you don't have a camera? But that's like making gumbo w/o a roux! You've got to capture your pretties and share w/ us.

Benfica has opened, still a little cupped shape so may not be fully open for a couple more days. It's impossible for me to capture how highly saturated the deep blood red / burgundy blooms are and how much they look like velvet. Looking on the back, the petals are so rich and intense they appear black. Has anyone used Benfica for hybridizing? I'd think with such think pollen literally dripping that it would be a good candidate.

My 'Benfica' is about to open also! Dang it, I don't think I'm going to have any other blooms fresh enough to cross with it... I may try putting some pollen aside, maybe in the fridge?

I didn't know you could do that, critter. Maybe I should do the same?

I know people put DL pollen in the fridge (maybe even in the freezer), so it seems like it should work... and if not, nothing to lose, really. You can always try the cross on one or two blooms and do something different with the other ones. Just be sure to snip off the pollen-bearing bits from the bloom you're pollinating, so it doesn't self-pollinate. :-)

Exotic Star (which should have been Papillio) is blooming again and the second round of Chico's blooms are just starting to open. Siren is finished for the moment and has had gorgeous double blooms twice since Christmas. I'll watch Benfica since I don't think it's totally finished opening, it's supposed to have 7" blooms. Those are the four I have. Are they like dips and tets in daylilies with the most successful crosses having the same genes? I don't have enough knowledge to know which Amaryllis these are that would be good candidates to cross & would appreciate anyone's advice.

Here's Exotic Star (again) blooming yesterday. Again the stalk is much taller than the 1st blooms and is at least 2' and has no leaves.

My Benfica flowers were lovely and plentiful but fairly small and somewhat cupped also.

Which blooms have been the biggest for people? I think 'Snow Drift' was my biggest so far, and of course double petals make it look larger yet (plus 3 stalks bloomed at once!!).

Here's a pic my SIL in Dallas sent of Estella. Please forgive the fuzziness...she suffers from essential tremors and from numerous photos she sent, we agreed this was the best one. And it's blooming true to form and color.

Three blooming stalks at once must have made your day, critter. Siren's double blooms have been my largest. Just wished I'd been more adventurous and tried others. I think the White/Green combos are stunning.

Pretty bloom! How frustrating for her to try to take photos with that problem. She gets major points for making the effort! You might suggest she try bracing the camera against something like the back of a chair. Some cameras have the ability to take photos remotely, so she'd be able to set up the shot with the camera on a table (or a stack of books on the table) and then trigger the shot without touching the camera... she may also be able to use the camera's timer function to accomplish the same thing.

Good tips, thank you, Critter.

Here is Madrid and Snow Drift. Both amazing!

Mamajack, Thank again for the great coop. Patti

Here was H.Siren a couple of weeks ago. I liked it a great deal too. All winners so far. I will have more next week. Patti

Benfica is a very tall girl.

is that the right siren and benfica? these are so beautiful. and big. is madrid the correct bloom?

I think mine are correct.