In a recent post, I showed photos of beautiful amaryllis blooms that we were enjoying this winter and wrote about why I decided to cut them and put the flowers in vases. You can read that post here:
https://studioemmy.blogspot.com/2021/02/thankful-morning.html?m=1
Now that all the plants in my little collection have had their flower stalks cut, the not-so-pretty side of growing amaryllis comes into play. Compared to other bulbs you may be familiar with, such as daffodils, tulips and hyacynths, amaryllis bulbs are huge. Here is some info about their sizes and what you can expect from an amaryllis bulb:
In my experience, an amaryllis bulb will have two stalks and some very large leaves that get heavy and floppy. They are a delight in the throes of a cold and snowy winter and I think it will be worth the effort to try to keep them over to get them to bloom next winter. For now, they will stay put in their pots so the roots won't be disturbed and I will try to give them just enough water to keep the bulbs healthy . . . not too much and not too little! When the weather is warm enough for them to venture outdoors, I will put the pots in a protected area where I can keep my eye on them. If things go well, I will bring them back inside and force them into dormancy.
For some, this might be too much bother. In fact, it might just be too much bother for me! But, it's worth a try. For all the beauty these magnificent floral blooms provide in the dead of winter, I will give it my best shot. And, should I fail, I know I can buy them on sale before Christmas at the local Tractor Supply store. When I found them there online this past December, I ordered three and picked them up curbside at the local store. It couldn't have been easier, and the price was very resonable at under $6 each. The ones at the local stores may be smaller bulbs and not as mature as some of the fancier ones at growers' websites, but these were worthy performers. I was given a fancy basket of three for Christmas that were bigger and sent up very healthy stalks and put out a colorful variety of magnificent huge blooms. If you look online when it is time to order them again in late fall/early winter, you will find all kinds and even some that are just the bulb, coated with wax, that will blossom in a vessel devoid of water or soil. They can even be suspended upside down for dramatic effect.
I hadn't thought of preserving any of these giant flowers in my floral press until my husband suggested it. I certainly had enough blooms to spare a couple for preserving. They were such large flowers and after I dissected them, they required several pages in my press. They are safely tucked inside and battened down to dry and flatten. Time will tell, if they will look good enough to use in a collage or if they will be suitable for framing.
To view a close-up of any of the photos herein, click on the image.
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| An amaryllis bloom sacrificed for the flower press. |
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| The flower press that my husband gave to me last year for my birthday. Not only is it functional, but is pretty with its wooden covers and the lever that keeps everything inside secure. |
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| Petals of one of the giant red blooms and stamens takes up an entire page in my flower press. |
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| Hopefully, these dissected blooms and stigma will provide some interesting results. |
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| These delicate pink and white petals are a bit curly. I didn't want to slice them, so I'm not sure what I'll find when I open the press several weeks from now. At the bottom of the photo are the stamens and the stigma from the center of the bloom. |
While I am on the subject of preserving flowers, I'm planning to open the box of last summer's pressed blooms that I saved. This is all new to me; but by watching YouTube videos, I feel confident that I can learn how to use them to make things. If I have any success, I will share it in a post.
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| The not-so-pretty amaryllis farm takes up a lot of real estate in our dining room window. When it gets warm enough this spring or summer, the pots will be moved outdoors where they will stay until I bring them back in the fall for their forced dormancy. Hopefully, I will have success with them and we will enjoy blooms next winter! Perhaps I should sacrifice a few leaves to press. Hmmmmm . . . |
As I write this post, March is continuing to give us more wintry weather. If the old saw is true about the lion and the lamb in March, we should enter springtime with less snow and more patches of green grass. It takes a long time for what truly feels like spring to arrive here in WNY . . . when the buds on trees open, spring bulbs bloom and the songbirds return. However, this year, I have read on friends' Facebook posts that they have already seen robins. I have yet to see one, but I keep looking every day! After the unusual year we have all experienced, spring will seem all the more special to us . . . whenever it really gets here.
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