Oh. My. Stars. !!!!!!!!!!

Hello, Gorgeous!



I had no idea that this pot contained St. Joseph's Lily (Hippeastrum x johnsonii)!  Sure, I remembered buying the bulb at The Arbor Gate when Chris Wiesinger of Southern Bulbs was there in fall (2011? 2012?)  I had it planted out front but decided I wasn't happy with its placement (The Head Gardener: Big surprise.) So I dug it up and put it in a pot until I found a spot where I wanted to plant it.  I forgot to label it, though. (The Head Gardener: How unusual. Not.)  I've moved the pot around to one place or another and last fall I set it along the back fence, having decided from the foliage that it must be a division from the Hymenocallis given to me by Otahal.  A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a bloom stalk had emerged and that the buds clearly had the coloring and appearance of a red Amaryllis.  I moved the pot yet again and placed it in the courtyard, where the red blooms would be more felicitous.   It wasn't until the blooms opened that I realized this wasn't just any red Amaryllis ... those white stars just glow, don't they?

Also called Hardy Amaryllis and Johnson's Amaryllis, development of this old Southern favorite and passalong plant is credited to a watchmaker named Johnson somewhere between 1799-1810.  The blooms are said to have a spicy fragrance which I can neither confirm nor deny since those on my plant have now faded.  I'm thinking about finding a red ceramic pot and planting it in that so I can enjoy the view of the blooms through my front door in years to come!

Comments

Carol said…
Very nice. I have never had much luck forcing Amaryllis. So last year I just stuck one in a bed around my bird bath. Low and behold it has bloomed! I ignored it and it has done well! Have a great weekend! Carol
Unknown said…
How lovely. What a beautiful addition to your garden.
Rose said…
It's beautiful, Cindy!

I don't know how I missed your Bloom Day post, but thanks for giving us the whole tour of your garden. Wow! Now I'm really sad I never made it to Houston before my daughter moved.
Gail said…
That is a beauty!
David said…
Unexpected things happen in gardening..