Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Amaryllis Papillion


Butterfly amaryllis is in bloom  -- unlike the better-known big red amaryllis, these blooms are short-lived. . . but so exotic.

I didn't always appreciate amaryllis -- when I was growing up in Florida, our neighbors had a long row of them planted along the street. They throve and grew untidy, their long stems topped with gaudy red blooms usually toppled under their own weight.
 
 
 Over the years, I've acquired a number of pots of amaryllis -- they're a popular Christmas gift -- and I've gained an appreciation for their stately beauty and the drama of the emerging stem and slowly opening flower.

A good thing I like them -- Mr. Google tells me that the bulbs can continue to produce flowers for up to seventy-five years. . .
 
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10 comments:

Ms. A said...

They are beautiful! I might need to find something that lasts that long, since I manage to kill most everything.

Kath said...

A real beauty.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

I never really appreciate them either, but this is a real knock-out beauty.
Sam

Brian Miller said...

i love the structure of them...the veined petals...the fad into color....

Barbara Rogers said...

Ah, Mama Gaia has had her paint brush out with those beautiful lilies.

Frances said...

I don't think I've ever before seen a butterfly amaryllis...what an exotic flower!

jennyfreckles said...

My, this one is a real beauty.

Darla said...

While these are gorgeous, I've never really wanted one until you said the bulbs can bloom for 75 years...now that's made me desire this kind of plant friend. ;-)

Juliet said...

I found my first amaryllis last year, when I bought a beautiful red one to mark the anniversary of my mother-in-law's death. I'm hoping it will keep flowering, even though it's in a pot. Love your striped one.

Vicki Lane said...

They are really undemanding pot plants. After they bloom, eventually the foliage will die back. At this point water the bulb sparingly -- eventually it will send forth a new set of leaves. Mine stay in our (unheated) greenhouse, in full sun, most of the year till they begin to bloom.