Over the past few months Jamie and I have forged an unexpected, but wonderful new friendship with a fellow blogger. Phillip at Dirt Therapy and his partner Michael are two of the most kind and generous souls that have graced my path in a long time. Several weeks ago, Phillip sent Jamie and I an amaryllis potting kit to provide us with some winter color. It’s finally started to open the blooms.
Here in central Alabama we are able to plant amaryllis in the ground and this is the first time we have ever potted one to enjoy the indoor blooms. Had I known that we were going to delight in the process as much as we have, the entire windowsill would be lined with them at this very moment. In fact, we have enjoyed it so much that we are actually actively searching for the perfect table for that window and we intend on filling it with these beauties again next year. Each day we both found ourselves checking to see how much the flower stalks had grown. Amazingly, from the time we left for work in the morning until we got home we would notice growth for the day in the measurement of 1 to 2 inches. That’s pretty amazing if you think about it, I don’t think we would have ever noticed it, had it been growing outside. The flower spikes reached almost 2 feet tall. If you’ve never grown Amaryllis indoors like this, next year at Christmas time when they put them out for sale, I highly recommend that you treat yourself and a friend to the experience. I promise you, it’s a shot of sunshine for your soul!
18 comments:
I love that one...it's gorgeous:)
Blogging does open up so many new friendships!
Jan
You are so lucky. When they finish blooming they can go right outside. Yours is lovely, the color is so dramatic. I have two still sitting in my basement. Need to get them started again.
Marnie
You sure are blessed with those blogger friends. All but one of mine are outside, Just when the one inside was about to bloom the darn cat chewed it off!!!
Jan,
It's such a nice deep red that refuses to be ignored. It has brought a many a smile to my face the past couple of days!
Marnie I would really like to start a nice collection of them, but I just seem to get distracted from it. I have a butterfly planted but it hasn't bloomed for me yet... Maybe this year.:-)
Darla,
I had to have a hearty laugh when I read your post. I know it's not funny and if I were in your shoes I would be ill as a hornet. But, the way you worded it... was just amusing. Maybe he suffered a tummy ache as a result of his/her actions and it won't be repeated again. :-)--Randy
Ah! Your Amaryllis bloom looks so charming! What a great gift! Great to hear that you got a friend through blogging! Lucky you, Randy. Have a great day.
Jamie, you and Randy need to check out Easytogrowbulbs.com ... you'll be drooling over their selection of Amaryllis. Back in October, I was at a nursery with a friend who's passionate about amaryllis. The nursery had an exceptional selection, so I bought a Neon Rose and brought it home. Then I went back on my own to the same nursery and bought Red Pearl, Melusine and Moonlight. Neon Rose bloomed so quickly that I started looking online to see what I could find. Oh MY. Two orders later and I'm running out of room to put them!
I used to have a collection of them. And with the right care, they even multiplied. But one year they got a nasty bug/worm that burrows into the center and eats the bulb from the inside out. And I tried every year to keep that from happening to no avail. I threw them all out.
Maybe I'll try them again.
Chandramouli S,
It was a great gift. I can think of several people right now that I know that would love to have one.
Cindy,
Oh my! What a wonderful site! But, dadgumit I missed the shipping season on the Amaryllis bulbs. Unless you buy the gift sets and I can't go that expensive. I can already tell I'm going to spend a couple of hours to tear that site apart and I'm sure I'll be ordering something! Thanks for the link!
Wayne,
I think you should try it again. Those big beautiful blooms are worth it.
Hi Randy, one of the best things about the blogging is meeting new friends who share your passion for gardening. Phillip is a dear, and his garden is one I would love to someday see in person too. How fortunate you are to be able to have the amaryllis in the ground, but imagining a line up of them inside by your window sounds even better. You are so right about noticing things indoors that you would not if they are growing outside. All the more special since it was a sweet gift!
Frances
Well, Frances, I just checked the map and you actually live the same distance from Phillip that I do. April and May is peak season for his garden AND I believe he has an open tour of his garden at that time too. ;-)-Randy
Hi...Your amaryllis is indeed a beauty. I would love to have a good blogger friend live near by! Isn't Phillip a dear friend to you both! I have thoroughly enjoyed his garden and like Frances hope to visit his garden. Take care and keep warm...more cold weather is coming tonight! gail
Randy what a gorgeous red it is too .. I have never grown one .. my guys here are very allergy sensitive so between them and the cats it is kind of scary to try .. but you have me THINKING for sure . I am eyeing the top of the kitchen hutch right now .. hummm ..
LOL
Gail, I NEVER tire of seeing pictures of Phillip's garden! I can't wait to see it in full bloom.
Joy,
I say pump them full of Benadryl and enjoy the blooms. As far as the Kitty, Darla didn't report any ill effects. :-)--Randy
I love that you can grow these outside, too! How wonderful. I put mine outside in the summer, then put them in the basement to go dormant. Providing, of course, that I actually remembered to water them during the summer, or that they didn't drown in too much water...Currently I am without amaryllis at all, which I must rectify when I can go out for longer than an hour or so at a time.
That's a beauty, Randy & Jamie! I'd kept half-a-dozen amaryllis going in containers at our first Austin house but was glad to plant them all in the ground when we moved to this house. They do bloom outside but I missed seeing them grow so also have a couple this year.
Phillip is a peach!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Jodi,
These blooming beauties will be a must in our home during the winter from this point further. Get you some more. Cindy mentioned a great site, but I missed the ordering window. I'll catch it next year though!
Annie,
It's always great to see you paying us a visit. Phillip is the peachiest!
What a generous & lovely gift!
Racquel,
Phillip and Michael are both very generous and extremely kind hearted!
Post a Comment