Amaryllis Varieties Blooming!

Amaryllis, Spring 2016

Last year, I purchased an amaryllis from a local gardening store. As soon as the blooms were spent, I transplanted it to a garden bed and it has rewarded me with blooms this year!

Amaryllis plants consist of a bulb that–in Spring–sends up long, slender leaves, and a stalk with 3 or 4 flowers. In our mild winters, Amaryllis survives quit well in the soil. (In colder climates, this bulb may need to be dug and re-planted in Spring.)

Another Amaryllis plant in my garden is commonly called “St. Joseph’s Lily” — it is a hybrid Amaryllis bred in the late 1700’s–in England, by a man named Johnson who was a clock maker. As a consequence, this plant is formally known as Amaryllis johnsonii.

This hybrid was carried to North America by immigrants and can be found throughout gardens in the United States.

St Joseph’s Lily, Amaryllis johnsonii (Spring 2016)

Although the flowers self-pollinate, seeds are not produced, yet the plant is quit prolific at producing new plants by adding bulbs underground.  The characteristic red color with white stripes can be found in mid to late Spring –with more appearing each year.

I have obtained plants from both my mother and my mother in-law, these have been difficult to find in commercial garden centers, and are often shared as pass alongs. These are very easy to grow, and adapt to many soil types. They can tolerate the fierce Texas heat each summer, and consistently return in Spring. After blooming, the foliage remains green, but will die back with hard freezes.