I purchased amaryllis bulbs at lowes that on the tag say are cold hardy and can be planted in the ground all year. Our zone is 7a and this was in the bulb section nothing near any tropical plants. They came in 3 colors, red, white, and pink. They were planted in spring and have since flowered but the leaves remain and are huge over a foot long! I can't find anything online about these.
Cold hardy Amaryllis
Keith, you will probably get the best feedback from the discussion forums for Amaryllis and Hippeastrums as they are dedicated:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/hippeastrums/all/
Marcia
See if this helps.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56501/