Blooms from Mamajacks' Coop - CHAPTER 2

mmm, delicious blooms. More to put on my list for next year.

I'm sad that I lost my Snowdrift blooms to the freeze. Patti, it is beautiful. But there'll be other years.

Barb, that looks like Madrid, an orangey one.

The Dark Red is Benfica fer sure. But I have to say that some time back there was discussion and speculation as to whether Benfica and Black Pearl were one and the same. Both have the same delicious dark red flower. Somebody commented that Benfica was hybridized earlier and taller and that it was the way to differentiate from BP. Don't know if true and makes me no never mind....

well i am not going to ask for any replacements from willow creek and was just wondering how many i have that might turn out correct. some you want for sure as they are so different but hopefully i can get them another time.

vossner........how long does it take an amaryllis to make a clump?

B, I haven't unearthed any to determine which do and at what rate. Because I'm impatient, I opted to buy bulbs of my faves and planted them together for that "clump" look. I have been doing that w/ Benfica, Lemon-Lime and good ole Red Lion. I'ld like to do the same w/ a pink one, but I continue to wait for one with saturated color. Years ago I thought I'd be Hercules, but that is more of a raspberry red. I want girlie pink. Neon almost fits the bill, but like I said, haven't found the pink I want to "faux clump" lol.

h. equestre is a red one and I do notice a lot more foliage this 2nd year, so that might be one. h. johnsonii is another clumper but not so much in my garden.

vossner do you completely submerge your bulbs in your soil or do you keep the necks out of the soil? i have to think that in nature they do not keep their own necks out of the soil.

i keep the necks exposed. over the years they sink a little and become level w/ soil.

and we don't just go ahead and do that for them because of the increased likelihood of rot, right?

When they clump naturally the necks are well exposed. It is almost like they grow on top of the soil around here.

Your comment on the height being the defining factor is interesting Nery; I bought 2 Benficas from the co op which have already bloomed that pretty deep red. I also planted one I bought last year in the container with them and it is just now ready to bloom. It's stems are a good 6" taller than the others. The newer bulbs were actually larger than the year old one so I don't think it has anything to do with age.

well ardesia tell me about the dirt they're in.

My Benfica I posted above is only on a 12" stalk. The blooms never opened any further and are now on the down side. There's another stalk 6" with a bud. This one's not produced any leaves.
Didn't know that about Black Pearl, vossner. Maybe that's what I actually have? Very pretty either way.

Here's Chico blooming again. It's another one that has no leaves.

My Benfica started opening today, and it's gorgeous! I love the deep claret color of the blooms. Stalk isn't particularly tall, probably not much more than 12" here either, but I also had Red Peacock blooming on oddly short stalks, so I'm not sure I'd go by height unless it's consistently short over the next couple of years. It's not like I'll be selling named offshoots from it, so I'm just going to enjoy its beauty!

*****

I just got an email from Kathleen with a form attached that they're asking each of us (who got mislabeled bulbs) to fill out. If you didn't get the form, contact them.

*****

my Benficas have been consistently tall girls but I also have trouble making height a defining characteristic, unless the cultivar is defined as a dwarf. I've had several hippies which bloomed on stunted stems the first year and became average height girls the following year.

I really don't know what the deal is w/ height on the diff. cultivars.

Ardie, the thing about height being the defining factor on Benfica vs. B Pearl is info I got thru word of mouth. I don't know this for a fact and since my doggies have trampled all over my hippie tags, I'm not sure I could tell which is B. and which is BP. Color is exactly the same.

Barb, I wanted to answer your ? about exposed necks and realized I don't know. I went researching and somebody wrote that planting them too deep reduces flowering and no mention anywhere about bulb health reasons. I will ask around and post here.

My three bulbs are in the same pot and I can tell which ones are new because those bulbs were quite large.

Mama, I'll try and get a picture of the exposed bulbs tomorrow - if I can get near them. We have been having epic amounts of rain and the ground is saturated.

Each and every variety is somewhat different. Johnsonii has longer necks, and if you don't plant them deep enough, they will pull themselves down. I misplaced a tiny bulblet, and even though it was lost on top of the ground (never planted), it rooted into the earth and over years time, pulled itself down and eventually bloomed and multiplied.

I suspect that San Antonio Rose is the same way, but I haven't had it long enough to observe.

The less hardy ones have more tender necks that are subject to rot if too wet, so I place these higher is the soil.

A rule of thumb would be to leave the neck exposed, and if it wishes to be deeper, I suspect it will take care of that on its own.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can make general statements unless you live in a totally freeze/frost free area, and I certainly don't.

Hope that helps!

Ann

You are right Ann and I apologise for blanket statements I always tend to think if you are planting them outside you live in a mild climate. Although in my previous home I had several large clumps that looked like they were on the surface of the soil. This was in Columbia, SC and these bulbs were regularly exposed to freezing temps in a completely exposed area and it always amazed me when the leaves emerged each spring.

Down here on the coast my Johnsonii's do stay near the soil surface but that could be because of our high water table.

Mama, here is a picture of a couple of my bulbs. I never planted the first one that high, it moved up by itself and it's progeny are following suit. This year we had 2 weeks of freezing temps at night and it really hurt the foliage on the bulbs but they are nice and firm so I am sure they will bounce back quickly. The soil these bulbs are in is pretty heavy.

Good afternoon all. this is the answer that I received from Paul from Royal Colors. I respect his knowledge.

The neck is the most weakest part of the bulb/plant. The place where the bulbs ends and the leaves starts is a sensitive part of the bulb. Fungi and other diseases like Stagonospora , can easily affect the bulb when this part is under the ground.

Regards,

Paul Romijn
Royal Colors

amazing ardesia. i don't sink the neck but none of mine have moved up to that height. those are like iris. just let them touch the dirt and they'll grow.

thanks vossner for finding that out.

Here's my last one to bloom, it was supposed to be Estella. There's a thread discussing what this one is, Kathleen is trying to find out so they can order it on purpose. She sure is purty.

Anyone there? here are my last pics--of my goofy amaryllis.

This one has been growing at this angle no matter how I turn the pot. Thought I would snap a pic before cutting it off.

This one is trying to bloom right against the bulb. Guess i'll have to cut it off.

Last one--same bulb as the previous with the stunted bud. NOID labeled estella. Not only pretty flower, has a tall, straight stalk, 6 blooms, and is FRAGRANT! If Kathleen can figure out what this is, I will buy some next year. Nobody in my family likes pastel pink, so I will just have to keep them for myself. too darned bad lol!

"goofy amaryllis" that's funny grrrr.

whatever it is grrrlgeek - lovely!!

This is the first of my coop amaryllis to bloom. Labelled 'Chico', it seems to be correct to me, but it's the most unusual amaryllis I've ever grown.

One of my papillio (potted) bloomed today and it is true to name. The other hasn't (outdoors) but I'm assuming it's right too because both bulbs were on the smaller side and papillio is a smaller bulb in my experience.

My not-papillio was a smaller bulb also and had the elongated bud that I was expecting (I figured its bud should be similar to cybister types)... but it didn't bloom out as Papillio.

My 'Estella' is just sprouting up. Guess I'll have to include a list of plants that haven't bloomed yet by the end of February when I send my Excel sheet to Kathleen. I really wanted 'Estella', but that pink fragrant one does sound yummy, so i don't think i'll be dreadfully disappointed either way. ;-)

My SIL confirmed yesterday the Estella I gave her isn't either (pic above on Jan 28) and Papillio turned out to be Exotic Star. So two out of the five I bought were wrong. I'll be sending my form to Kathleen this week. Right or wrong ones though, it was nice having blooms indoors this Winter.

So what is the verdict on this one that I have labeled as 'Estella'? It looks like it has the same green throat and white center striping as the pictures of Estella that I've seen but the color is a very girly baby pink. My mother is in love with this one. I'd love to order another for her but I'm not sure which one it is. My picture looks the same as grrlgeek and fruitofthevine.

Here is a pic from easytogrowbulbs

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/browseproducts/Amaryllis-Estella.html

I posted this one on the old thread...'Benefica'

Your Estella seems to be a NON like grrrlgreek's and the one I gave my SIL. I really would like to know its name. Both mentioned how fragrant they are. Is yours, Dyane?

Willow Creek's website has been totally revamped and is now showcasing Spring bulbs and plants. After a couple of back and forth emails with Kathleen asking which Amaryllis bulbs were available for replacements, this morning she said "at this late date" her only suggestion is Chico, which I already have. So I'll be exercising option #3 and will order Spring bulbs or flowers. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=7435405 Just wanted to give the rest of you a heads up. I wish if they hadn't had enough Amaryllis bulbs to replace our NONs they would have give us an advance notice instead of indicating an end of February deadline.

That Amaryllis is fragrant. A subtle sweet fragrance. Another reason to like that one.

Dyane

Ah well, if the other bulb isn't Papillio I won't mind at all. I have a couple already, I was just being greedy with a variety I especially like when I ordered them.

Hi, Can someone please identify what this red is on the leaves of my Amaryllis? Is this normal? If not, what should I do about it? Thanks!

Another Photo of the same Amaryllis. Thanks

This message was edited Mar 11, 2010 10:54 PM

I had 3 Susans' and they are beautiful. Tall stems and the largest blooms. I will order more of those when I can Elaine

tondut, it looks like what happens when there is damage. Like they were somehow damaged while still in the bulb. Should be fine I would think.

Has anyone else due received your replacement bulb(s)? Mine came today. Oh my, these folks are generous and have gone out of their way righting a wrong that was never their fault.

Thanks again, mamajack & crew!

I opted to get replacements next fall, and I'm hoping they'll be the right ones.

I agree, Willow Creek has gone above & beyond in how they've handled this situation. Even if their suppliers are reimbursing them for the mislabeled bulbs, they still are providing shipping and investing a lot of their time in making sure we're all happy. I'll be a repeat customer, for sure!

Is anybody collecting seeds from their amaryllises? Anybody want seeds? I only let a few pods develop so far.. I've got self-pollinated seeds from 'Scarlet Baby', and 2 different seed pods from the one that looks like 'Bogota' ("not-Ruby-Meyer"), one self-pollinated and one crossed, I think with Red Peacock, but the tags fell off. I'm trying not to get too many seedlings started, since they take several years to get to blooming size, but I couldn't resist trying a few.

I opted for credit for Spring stuff, so I guess I better get shopping.