by Connie Oswald Stofko
The amaryllis is a favorite flower for Western New York gardeners to grow indoors at this time of year because there’s not much going on bloom-wise outdoors.
Amaryllis bulbs are popular holiday gifts. My niece, Carrie Hoffman of Cheektowaga, got one and started charting its amazing growth. The plant can grow 1 1/2 inches a day!
Amaryllis gets tall and has huge, trumpet-shaped flowers. It’s quite a spectacular plant. Find out how to care for your amaryllis so you can keep it blooming year after year.
You can see many wonderful specimens at the Amaryllis & Cymbidium Show now under way at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday through Feb. 16. Admission is $9 for adults; $8 for seniors (55 and older) and students with ID; $5 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for Botanical Gardens members and children under 3.
The other star of this show is the cymbidium, a type of orchid. I think cymbidiums are more delicate and refined, while the amaryllis is showy and theatrical.
The amaryllis and the cymbidium are different in many ways and I suspect that some gardeners have a strong preference for one plant or the other. (I may have tipped my hand and let you know which plant dazzles me more.)
But they both share one important trait. They can flower indoors at this time of year when we desperately need to enjoy some blossoms!
Well I must say that my Amaryllis is done growing tall and started blooming around Jan. 15th. The blooms are huge and the most vibrant red. This really was a hands off plant and provides that much needed color this dreary season needed. However it still has not produced one leaf. We shall see if those start after I clip off the flower stalk. I hope to have this plant survive through the outdoor season to see it back indoors next December for the splash of color that I’ll need.
Carrie, thanks for that update. I’ve had a bunch of amaryllis for several years. This year it looked like all I was going to get this year was leaves, but a couple of buds have finally appeared. They’re interesting plants to watch and pretty easy to care for. Thanks for writing.