The diva finally sings!

I've been waiting for more than two months for the 'Grand Diva' amaryllis to bloom. She was very slow to start putting out leaves - didn't really begin to do it until after Christmas. And she didn't start to put up a bloom spike until after her sister amaryllises had already bloomed. But finally - finally! - in mid-January, her bloom spikes began to emerge. And now it is February and she's in full bloom. 

Divas perform in their own sweet time. They can't be rushed. But this one has finally delivered.

Still blooming

As I told you on January Bloom Day, I still don't really have anything blooming in the garden. I do hope to be adding some blooms soon, but in the meantime, I have to be satisfied with the few blossoms that I have indoors.

And those are the same blooms that I had during the holidays - amaryllis and poinsettia.

This poinsettia on my living room hearth has been a real trooper. It has now lost most of its green leaves, but the blooms are still going strong. It has been in bloom in the house for more than six weeks now. I think I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of this plant!

The 'Flamenco Queen' amaryllis is now in its second cycle of bloom. Its bloom, too, is very long lasting and has given a lot of pleasure.

'Cherry Nymph' also has been a real winner for me and is now on its second bloom spike. Isn't it pretty?

'Grand Diva,' on the other hand, has certainly lived up to her name. She has kept us waiting, waiting, waiting... I began to wonder if she was ever going to bloom, but finally, she is putting up two bloom spikes at once. Leave it to a diva to show off!

Here's the second 'Diva' bloom spike, not as tall yet as the first one, but it promises beauty to come.

Here on a cold, cold day in late January, we'll take color and flowers wherever we can find them and I'm very happy to have these few flowers. Still blooming.

Wordless Wednesday: Season of the amaryllis

Wordless Wednesday: The butterfly and the amaryllis

Wordless Wednesday: First amaryllis bloom

St. Joseph's lily

It is amaryllis time in Houston area gardens. All those bulbs that we bought for Christmas color - the 'Red Lions', the 'Apple Blossoms', the 'Papillons' - and then planted in our gardens are blooming or getting ready to bloom.


'Apple Blossom' - a bouquet on one stem.

We are lucky to live in a climate where this is possible. A bit farther north, these exotic members of the genus Hippeastrum would not make it through the winter. Here, even with the colder winters we've experienced for the last two years, all of my so-called amaryllis (They aren't really. As noted, they are Hippeastrums.) bulbs have all survived, thrived, and multiplied.

There is one amaryllis that is definitely not a hot-house plant requiring any special care, even in colder climates than ours. It is known by two common names - St. Joseph's lily or hardy amaryllis. It comes by that "hardy" tag honestly.


St. Joseph's lilies are beginning to bloom in my yard and in gardens all across the area this week.

There is an interesting story behind this plant. It is reported to be the first hybrid amaryllis ever produced. It was hybridized in England in 1799 by a watchmaker named Johnson. It was produced by a cross between Hippeastrum reginae and Hippeastrum vittatum and was given the scientific name Hippeastrum x johnsonii in honor of its creator. Following that, it had a long run as a popular home garden flower, but it began to fall out of favor as bigger and showier amaryllis plants were produced. Today, it is difficult to find the bulbs except through dealers in heirlooms like Southern Bulb Company. That, in fact, is where I got my few bulbs a couple of years back.

The bulbs are often handed down from one generation to the next as heirlooms, a popular practice especially among Southern gardeners. If you are lucky, maybe someone will hand some down to you. If not, then they are definitely worth the effort to search them out in the nursery trade.

This is a very tough bulb that has stood the test of time in our climate and soil and is well-acclimated and adapted. It may not be a native plant but it has been here so long that it might as well be. It has everything, really - beauty, fragrance, and durability. Give it a try and I'm betting it will grow on you. I know it will grow FOR you.

Wordless Wednesday: 'Red Lion' of winter

One year ago...

One year ago, 'Apple Blossom' amaryllis was in bloom. It's been a bit slow to wake up this year, but I expect April will be 'Apple Blossom' time.