Though Amaryllis Dance in Green...
Several years ago, I bought an amaryllis as a Christmas gift for my best friend and then-roommate. It bloomed not long after, but never again. For four or five years, it grew in a little pot. Every year, I figured it would die back in the winter, but every spring, it would grow long, spiky amaryllis leaves again.Last fall, I put the bulb in the ground, in my front bed, along with all my other bulbs, and promptly forgot about it. (I notice a trend, with this planting and forgetting.)
This spring, all my irises started growing, to my delight, but among them, growing a stalk of blossoms, was my amaryllis!
The bloom is gorgeous - I didn't even remember what it would look like. And there are two more blooms yet to come.
Made my week, my amaryllis.
Our little house is on a busy street, with quite a bit of traffic, of both the pedestrian and vehicular varieties. We're located the perfect distance away from both a convenience store and a fast food restaurant, such that people finish eating their snacks right in front of our house and promptly throw their litter into our yard. Sigh.
So we don't spend a lot of time in the front yard. Our more secluded back yard is far more inviting. In the front yard, I plant things that won't (generally) require me to water them, because chances are I won't remember. Everything in the front yard must thrive on neglect, and I still have a lot of work to do to turn it from the yard it is, into the garden I'd like for it to be.
All this is to say that I've done absolutely nothing to the bulbs and plants I've installed into the front yard, aside from digging a bed, mulching it, and some very occasional watering. So imagine my delight to see such colors in my front beds!
Not all the color is even visible here. In this one long, skinny bed that runs along the driveway, I've got bulbines flourishing (as always), vivid red ranunculus, irises preparing to bloom, bright poppies, and of course, my amaryllis.
My gaura should kick in later in the summer, and in the fall, I'm hopeful that MSS' oxblood lilies will bloom, as well.
The bright ranunculus, closer up - such a vivid contrast to the orange and yellow bulbines...
...and the first iris of the season.
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Beautiful. I've noticed a few amaryllis blooming around my neighborhood. Maybe it's their year. I love the ranunculus. I'm not really familiar with that one.
See you on Saturday!
Thank you, Vertie!
I haven't seen many amaryllis around, but MSS has pictures posted this week, so this must be the time of year for them. Since this is my first year growing much of anything in the dirt (much less this dirt), it's hard for me to isolate all the possible factors. Maybe our wet summer last year helped promote a spring bloom. Maybe my amaryllis was just sick of its pot. In any case, I'm chuffed, as the British say.
I got my ranunculus last fall when the bulbs (corms? something...) were on sale at all the big box stores. I'd forgotten that I'd planted some of them; I think I planted some anemones, as well, but I wouldn't recognize them if I saw them. I know the ranunculus because they have foliage that resembles columbine. They're sweet, vivid flowers. I've read (someplace) that they don't tend to last more than one year, but I've got no personal experience to back that up or disprove it.
I look forward to meeting you this weekend!