Amaryllis and a Garden Kitty: Number 4 in a Garden Photo Series

Who would have guessed such beauty could come from such a knotty little bulb? All over the country this bulb flowers in an impressive array of colors. My bright red shown in the photo montage below is a gift from a friend’s garden.

Although red is often given at Christmas, the deep red with a white stripe on this bloom reminds me of our flag. This plant is a fabulous subject for photography for Amaryllis is a timeless garden plant!

I grew amaryllis in Florida, again thanks to a friend’s gift, but had not seen them up here in the cold north of the Carolinas until my friend showed me her stand on the back fence of her property. It was an exciting moment!

I would love to have a stand of these red with some solid white amaryllis around the outside of my mailbox planter, and then add blue balloon flower around their outside edge. The problem, though, is that balloon flower blooms later than the amaryllis. If any one knows of a spring blooming blue flower for a project I have in mind it would be great to hear from you.

It’s possible that I could replant the amaryllis each year, timing the planting with the balloon flowers, but it’s not likely that I could attend to that correctly on a consistent basis. Maybe when life slows down, or I’m able to add a gardener to my staff...ha.

Enough of this rambling. If you’ve never grown these bulbs, now’s the time to plan on getting them started. They make great indoor plants and they work beautifully outside in the garden. They are hardy, and though they only bloom once in the spring, they put on such a grand show that they are worth the wait each year.

En masse amaryllis are breathtaking, yet a single one in an elegant pot by a sunny window makes a dramatic statement. They come in colors ranging from black to white, with variegated varieties to choose from. Some bloom earlier than others, most can be forced to rebloom. There are singles and doubles, miniatures and jumbos, peacocks and butterflies, and that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

There is a lot to know and love about this flower, more than I can piece together in a decent hub. However, you can easily do a search on everything you want to know about this darling of the garden. Just google in all the "how tos" you can think of for them--words like plant, grow, propagate, store, rebloom will each give you a great research start on amaryllis.

Once established in a garden bed, the foliage makes a wonderful background for bright summer blooms. It is upright and lilly-like, as are the blooms. It has a rich green color that will highlight all of your other flower colors. Supple arches in the leaves move gently with the wind to give texture in a garden, even though the leaves themselves are fairly solid in color and smooth to the touch.

If I am able to put my mailbox bed of amaryllis with blue flowers together I’ll try to add a photo of the finished product to this hub. In the meantime I hope you enjoy my small montage of amaryllis photos, along with some pictures of my best garden buddy.

So sweet and curious she is. I'm sure it is because she was raised by our precious daughter. Wanting to poke her nose in every hole I dig or peek into my wheelbarrow full of who knows what, she is a playful and gentle companion as I work.

If I put a tarp down for cuttings I must be careful to remember that she is quite possibly hiding under a fold before I move it or we will both be surprised with a sudden jolt. If I move something into my wheelbarrow I need to make room for her to hop in and thoroughly inspect it.

Liking to drink running water more than from a bowl, our kitty meows and curls around my feet until I stop what I am doing to provide that for her when I am watering any of my plants. Notice her pink tongue in the shot of her at the rock. Spoiled cat or smart cat, or both?

One reason she likes my amaryllis is because squirrels like to plant their nuts close to them. It's a strange habit. Why not in a safer or easier spot? To their own peril they persist in this so I have taken to burying mosquito plant leaves in the area and it seems to be working. Squirrels like that smell no better than mosquitoes do!

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