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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Amaryllis



Sometime back I had gone to my aunt's to get some
amaryllis bulbs. Only a few of the plants were still
blooming. The show had almost come to an end! But I'm
glad I got an opportunity to capture these blooming
beauties.





This one is from the Himalayan foothills--the mountainous state
of Sikkim. I was told that it will bloom again in November.

A page from a 1997 magazine I had preserved has this to say
about planting amaryllis bulbs------

After the flowering season in April and May, cut the leaves
off and take out the bulbs from the soil and dry them in a
shady place. When the spikes start to appear on the bulbs,
put them in the soil and start watering and manuring them.
If the bulbs are not lifted from the ground and 'rested',
the plant will only produce leaves, not flowers.




As we were digging out the bulbs, I 'sensed' something
at the back. I quickly turned and clicked. Why, it was
Mr. Flamboyant himself!! That orange on a lizard is
something that I hadn't seen for a long, long time! It
was worth going all the way to my aunt's place and getting
the amaryllis bulbs, after all!



21 comments:

Sunita Mohan said...

Kanak, those Amaryllis are lovely! I didnt know they will bloom again in November. In my garden they bloom just once in summer.
I dont lift them out of the soil when they're done. They remain there right through the monsoons and winter and bloom again next year.

Sunita Mohan said...

Pssst! I think Mr. Lizard is colour coordinating with the Amaryllis! Maybe he's showing off " You want colour? Take a look at this!"

Linda Lunda said...

Oohhh what a pretty lizard!!!!!!!
The amaryllus are stunning to!
Linda

ShySongbird said...

Hi Kanak, here in the UK the Amaryllis is a bulb which is often given as a Christmas present, it is sold in a presentation box with a pot and growing medium. I have occasionally heard of it being planted in the garden after it has flowered and subsequently flowering again in the late summer if the weather has been warm enough. It is a beautiful flower and always brightens my windowsill in the dark days of winter.

What a pretty little creature the lizard is. I also liked the Water Hyacinth on your previous post, I have never seen it before and I can see why it would perhaps not be welcome here!

NatureStop said...

What a beauty the Amaryllis are.Lovely blooms and the lizard too looks very cheerful and bright:)

tina said...

Mr. Flamboyant is a PERFECT name for this pretty lizard. Love your amarylis. I have one on the back deck now. Hoping it rejuvenates itself so it will bloom next year.

Anonymous said...

Lovely amaryllis, i usualy just cut the leaves after flowering is done and let the bulbs be there for next season

Anonymous said...

Hi Kanak, Your photos of the amaryllis are stunning. Amazing that the lizard put on a show just for you!!! I guess he appreciated you making the drive to visit!

Prospero said...

Kanak, these are lovely Amaryllis plants. I do the same as Sunita. I do not lift my bulbs and they flower for me every year. It's funny that you mention Sikkim. This year I'm growing a Sikkim cucumber! Salutations to Mr. Flamboyant.

Unknown said...

Hi Sunita, I wanted to know what others do with the bulbs, which is why I included that excerpt! But the way you described is the way I know too! Thanks for sharing. As for the lizard....hmm, you said it right!!

Linda, thanks!! I always remember you when there's a lizard in any of my posts!

Shy Songbird, I love the idea of the presentation box/growing medium. What a lovely Christmas gift! It's so interesting to read about the same plant and the different associations according to the part of the world one belongs to. i'm glad you liked the lizard. And thank you for commenting on the water hyacinth too.

Ruby/Arun, my cousin said to me---you should've been here when all of them were blooming!! Maybe next year...

Tina, rejuvenating itself...that's so well put. I hope mine does that too! i don't want to take pains with the bulbs!

Gauri, thanks for sharing. And happy you stopped by:)

Mildred, it's a coincidence that I won't forget! And I simply love that orange. As kids I remember seeing many lizards like that one. My yard has the dull gray variety.

Stephanie said...

Hi Kanak, when I see these amaryliss pictures... I laughed! I just got a red one from a nursery two days ago! Thanks for the tips from the magazine... it is very useful for me now. Hmm... Mr Flamboyant look quite scary for me... I wouldn't go near it. Have a wonderful evening!

islandgal246 said...

Kanak those amaryllis are gorgeous, my mum has the double and am still waiting on a plant from her. The white ones I have as well. I got hold of them many years ago one day while picking up Lauren at her junior school. I saw a bed of several white flowers growing in the schools garden. I was in a trance, I decided to pull my car up to the side of the bed pick one flower to put in a vase. Lauren was horrified that I was about to pluck a flower from her school's front garden. I opened my door so no one can see what I was up to and attempted to break the stem ..it didn't budget just went limp in my hands. I tried to pull the stem to break it and lo and behold the whole plant came up. I was shocked and so was Lauren, we looked at each other and I quickly slipped it into the car. Lauren looked at me and exclaimed "now look what you have done mummy! I am going to get into trouble"! Well I told her that couldn't just get out and plant it back without a hand spade and let people know what I had done so I will take it home. I felt really bad and had planned on calling the head teacher the next day to explain what had happened. Then I decided not to do that in case it got Lauren into trouble. That plant moved with me until we bought the property 13 year ago. I have them scattered in beds around the garden. I have shared several of them with friends. After that episode I have never attempted to take flowers from plants in public places (unless I have some clippers of course). I always make friends with the gardener who in turn is usually happy to share some cutting with me.

islandgal246 said...

PS. When Lauren sees this amaryllis she says that was the plant her mum stole from her school many year ago. She still scolds me to this day about that incident and I am still embarrassed.

Susie said...

Cool looking orange lizard. Never seen one that color. The pics of the amaryllis is pretty. I have the same one in the first picture. I was so happy to see it bloom this year.

storyteller said...

Kewl lizard and beautiful amaryllis blossoms in lovely colors.
Hugs and blessings,

Unknown said...

Prospero, Mr. Flamboyant is mighty pleased! Sikkim cucumber sounds lovely! I wasn't aware that there are cucumbers named after Sikkim!

Stephanie...hmmm...telepathy?! Many do not go through the entire process as was written in the magazine. Maybe you could just leave the bulbs in the soil. and like Tina said, let them rejuvenate themselves.

Helen, that sounds scary although it wasn't your intention to take the bulbs too! And how embarrassing it'd have been had you been caught in the act!! Oh I can understand the URGE to possess and the I-must-get-it emotion!! It's STRONG! The closest I came to snipping off a trailing stem was at an amusement park. Should I-should I not.....after such thoughts I finally asked the lady at a snack bar. With one sweep of her hands she said---Oh, that one? Take it! Just like that! As if it was all right to simply take what you want! That was the closest I came to.... Thanks for sharing an incident which still embarrasses you.

Susie, i remember your blooms. It looked very pretty, there--in your garden.

Storyteller, thank you for stopping by! Will visit you soon!

Wendy said...

We grow amaryllis at Christmas time. They sell the bulbs in the stores around November. We take home the bulb and "plant" it with loose soil in a container. If we're lucky it will bloom by Christmas. Sometimes they don't bloom until January, but they are beautiful.
Yours are gorgeous!! And that sweet little lizard. I thought it looked like a goldfish at first. LOL!

Frances said...

Oh Mr. Orange is a looker! And so are the amaryllis flowers. How interesting that they have to be lifted in order to flower, but well worth it. I love the white one the best for some reason. :-)
Frances

Unknown said...

Wendy, for us, amaryllis is a spring/early summer association. Shy Songbird had commented about this being given as a Christmas gift too. Glad to read your comment on the lizard:)

Frances, thanks for mentioning your favourite one!! I'll have to wait and see whether it'll bloom again in November. About Mr. Orange---oh, he is!!

shailaja said...

I loved the picture of the chameleon who has draped himself languidly on the tree trunk to watch you from behind!

Unknown said...

Hi Shailaja, thank you for stopping by...and for leaving this comment!