Does anybody in zone 8 plant their amaryllis inground?

if you do, pls post here. thanks.

I do.

gordo, thanks for replying but I'm looking for folks in zone 8. Somebody in Dallas? well, anybody in z8.

and if by any change you plant inground in zone 7, well let me know too.

This message was edited Jan 29, 2007 9:07 AM

This message was edited Jan 29, 2007 9:07 AM

I am marginal zone 9a by some of the latest maps.

I grow Johnsonii in my gardens. They are planted deep - no exposed neck.

I grew Appleblossom in the garden on the south side (exposed neck, some protection from house, brick and other plants in the area). It bloomed wonderfully the first year, but the second year my husband stepped on it, so no blooms. The mother bulb died after that, but I dug up lots of babies.

I keep telling myself that I need to get some of the others in the gardens, but I am a coward. We have so much rain and those ocassional hard freezes. It was 24 degrees this morning. That was the first hard freeze since the first of December. New leaves on many things just melted once again.

That's okay. Everything seems to come back again or it isn't meant for zone 8b/9a.

I see some hippi's in the ground. They are usually raised beds, but not always. They bloom every spring and multiply like crazy.

Unfortunately, I don't think that applies to every hippi. It may take some trial and error, so make sure you have some spares.

Vossner, There is a guy who works at the Smith & Hawkens on Knox Street ( I can't remember his name) that has a big Amaryllis collection. He tells me, his grow outdoors successfully. He is interesting to talk to because his method of growing them is quite different from all that I've read about their culture.

This message was edited Jan 30, 2007 11:30 PM

Oh I should also mention that last time I spoke with him was before that last cold blast we had.

I would love to know about his methods. One thing for sure, my collection has gotten so large, that some will absolutely HAVE to be planted in the garden this year.

One thing that I have noticed is that some are more tolerant of excessive rainfall than others. Some are more tolerant to heat, etc., etc. etc.

I wish there were a place where all of this info would be available, but if there is, I haven't found it. So, that means trial and error and overprotection on my part.

Vossner, I should have said he works at the Smith and Hawkens on Knox instead of Lovers Lane.
Also I don't know the details of how he grows them. But it should be mentioned that our area has enjoyed a few years of somewhat mild winters.

I plant mine in the ground. They freeze down in the winter and then come back up in the spring. They also seem to multipy well in the ground.

thanks everybody for their response. we have some property in east texas, between Hous & Dallas where I wanted to plant this inground. I will begin with red lion and plant in the warmest area of the garden, with a little extra mulch for added insurance

thanks for all your help.

vossner~

I know of several in-ground plantings here in 7b, and I'll try to get pictures as they bloom this spring.

One woman has a 6-foot-plus row of (what seems to be) x johnsonii. It's wonderful when it's all abloom! A neighbor up the street has an orange one that I haven't seen but will surely try to catch in bloom too. A friend has two large-flowered hybrids (don't know which) in her yard. There's one that has a lot of a solid red in it, might be Red Lion, I don't know.

I'm going to try to get some in the ground this year, now that I have "back-ups"....I still haven't entirely broken through the wariness I have, though I know it's done all around here. Silly.

R.

I have in the past and they have done ok. Planted them close to the house, so they do have some protection. I plan on putting all those bulbs out that I got in the coop this year too.

I have mine planted in my garden here in Zone 8B..any colder than me, I would think like n2bird said...planted close to the house or heavily mulched for winter...

I love 'em!!

howdy Jeanne. very excited about the prospect of being able to chance it in zone 8. Hope y'all will be around to console me if I come back crying about my z8 Red Lion, lol

Voss-- if the ground freezes where you plan to plant them, they say to plant the bulbs deep, too.

http://www.floridata.com/ref/H/hippeast.cfm

http://highplainsgardening.com/profiles/Hippeastrum.shtml

Hey V...I have had my Red Lion outside on my screened in porch for 4 years now, it was one I forced in my Kitchen window at the house I had in Tomball..so the poor bugger has been in a pot for 10 years..LOL... and am going to get it in the ground this Spring..remember to plant with morning sun only...the leaves burn if in sun after 1pm...Here is my Red Lion...I'll be here for you!!..LOL..Jeanne

vossner~

A critical factor, in general, is that the colder they are in the ground, the drier they should be. (Same as with EEs and other borderline bulbs.) Good, free-draining soil is the ticket, though I know that the row of x johnsoniis haven't had any of that done for them and they don't care. {chuckle} Mulch is your friend, too.

I'm going to try to pit some of most finicky and/or favored ones under the eaves where they won't be getting very much rain, if any. It's a good locale for them, but not much of it.

Mine have always been in ground.

Larkie

I usually bring indoors the first year to enjoy the blooms, then plant outdoors.

Erin

I live in 8a S.C. my amaryllis stay in the ground year round. Some of my mother bulbs are almost the size of a canteloupe and are just now starting to throw bud scapes.

I planted my bulb inground per the input provided above and am happy to report my Red Lion from Ilovejessus99 is doing fantastic, peeking about 6". Yipee.

Vossner!!!!!!!..Yipppeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Vossner,
I am in zone 7 and I planted a (unnamed) red Amaryllis last year to "test" the hardiness. I checked this Saturday and it has already started to spout (about 2 inches above the soil line). I planted it where the bulb was completely buried and I mulched with a two inch layer of mulched leaves.

Also, my Hippeastrum x johnsonii return every year with no problem.

I'm getting ready to put some Supreme Garden clumps in ground on south side with morning sun and dappled rest of day sun. It should be a microclimate though as in winter will get full sun and shelter from northwinds by tree. Close to that in another bed, similar conditions, three gingers are coming back. I failed to get mulch on them for the winter. The did get some low teens temps early, middle, and late winter but no ground freezing. Let's just see if the Calidums in same bed do anything.

Winter 05, I left some pots of Amaryllis outside somewhat sheltered in 14 -25 F temps that lasted a few days. They did get some freezing and I was able to save all but one using chlorax/water soak and pretty severe peeling and digging out. None have bloomed yet and a couple have sent up many offshoots but they've remained slowly producing steady leaves.

Don't know if this will help but...... I too am in z 7b and I have no problem growing amaryllis. On some of the varieties, the foliage stays green year-round.

I found this thread a little late, but I'm in zone 8b on the AL/FL border and lots of people grow them in the ground here. Seems like the popular thing to do is to create raised beds using old railroad ties and mulch heavily with pine straw in the winter.

I'm in a similar zone to BerryGirl but downtown in the city so the heat holds us about 1/2 a zone higher to zone 8. I grow in ground any amaryllis that is cheap! Anything old and "throw away" from any store around christmas. All are hardy, as long as drainage is improved they do beautifully. Our red clay seems to get bulbs multiplying like the dickens!

GGG

Here is an 8-9 foot row of xjohnsonii in town here in 7b. Fabulous every year and never is any mulch applied.

Ed. for grammar, tee-hee.

This message was edited May 24, 2007 7:01 PM

Another:

Detail:

A man just up the road has a lot of these "American Voodoo" bulbs planted. Never any special winter care. Being near the asphalt drive and the hous helps.

Double-posted, sorry.

This message was edited May 17, 2007 4:52 PM

Another pic of some of neighbor's "American Voodoos":

I'm in zone 8b and I have mine planted in the ground. They do super well here. I have mine in a garden bed close to the house and the bed faces east.

update. I found my Red Lion pulled out of the ground and the bulb slightly munched on (as if they tasted and decided they didn't like). I brought the bulb back to Richmond (zone9).

Are amaryllises deer resistant? I have deer and recently had cows roaming the area. For over 5 years, neither have bother the landscape, except for cows who munched on $300's worth of caladiums some years back.

here is the poor little thing. I ran out of time to plant it. will do tomorrow.

Raydio - - beautiful pictures. I planted X Johnsonii last year and am hoping for blooms this year.

I am in zone 7 and a Red Lion overwintered here with a bit of mulch. Here's a photo taken this week.

I'm in 8b and I've had great luck growing Amaryllis in my yard.

Hi, I live in Tyler and have over 100 in the ground. Most of them are my crosses and this is the first year for them to bloom.

Joan