Friday 19 October 2012

The Wintery Wonders of Amaryllis


Amaryllis
The genus name Amaryllis comes from the Greek word "amarysso," which means "to sparkle." In Vergil's Eclogues, Amaryllis was the name of a shepherdess who shed her own blood to prove her true love and, in doing so, inspired the naming of this bright red flower.

  There are two species of Amaryllis; however, the better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna. The botanical name for this flower, which is Hippeastrum spp, is a native of South America.  These flowers are typically large and trumpet shaped, with stems ranging from 18-30 inches long. Their colours vary from bold reds and oranges to white and pale pinks.  Modern hybrids of Amaryllis flowers are called Giant Amaryllis flowers or the Royal Dutch amaryllis flowers. The flowers size and ease with which it can be grown has increased the popularity of the flower worldwide.

Amaryllis performs best when grown under warm (70 to 75 F) temperatures for 9 to 10 months to promote flowering and vegetative growth, followed by 2 to 3 months of either cool dry storage or cool growing conditions. Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. They tend to have a vase life of approximately 10 days depending on the temperature.  Generally they are available from September to May.


Elizabeth Marsh’s Amaryllis tips
Fortunately, Amaryllis are typically very easy to look after; however to keep them looking their best follow the below tips!
·         Trim the ends half an inch from the end
·         Place them in a vase that will support the stem as this can go soft as the flowers mature and open
·         Be aware that the warmer the temperature they are kept in, the faster they will open
·         Remove the sepals as the tend to go brown and look quite ugly
·         They look very nice on their own with grass, as you can see from one of our own designs – the red amaryllis pictured at the top
·         For a more traditional look, you can team them with roses

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