I Never Promised You an Amaryllis Garden

But here it-or rather, they are! Royal Colors offered three of the klister (Dutch for cluster) type amaryllis this season, so naturally Emaryllis had to have one of each. Marketing these clumps (which Royal Colors distinguished with the “multiflora” moniker) complete with numerous offsets produces some challenges. They are smaller growing varieties than most to begin with, so the curing process must be done carefully so as not to dehydrate the bulbs, and to preserve live roots on at least on the largest bulbs in the clump. Many times, a few of the smaller bulbs detach in transit. In order to sell them in retail outlets, I imagine they would each have to be contained in a mesh bag. End users will have to find some room for the larger pot sizes that these clumps demand. Then these potted bulbs will have their work cut out; they are expected to produce several scapes, with a lush carpet of foliage at the same time. Genetics and appropriate cool temperature programming must add up to a commanding show, as these varieties do not come cheaply. So how did ‘Red Garden’, ‘Striped Garden’, and ‘Yellow Garden’ fare?The ultimate behavior of these is subject to updating, as we are talking first year roots, and only one sample of each was purchased. YMMV.

‘Red Garden’ features silky scarlet red flowers with a kilted shape that reminds me of the older screaming vermilion ‘Calimero’, yet in a less strident shade. The silkiness and translucence with sun shining through the petals also reminds of the seemingly discontinued ‘Pamela’. Foliage is present with the first scapes, right on cue. But this one paces itself. Two scapes together, then another, then another and one more. If you like a nice long period of bloom, this one is great. Certainly a nice smaller amaryllis in a traditional shade of red. The flowers are a little larger than expected, but on the whole the plant is compact. Nice.

Moving right along, ‘Striped Garden’ did lack a bit in the foliage department, but made up for it with a bravura show by putting up three scapes at once, nicely centered in the pot. Lovely rosy trumpets with sprightly white centers showed perfect form and were produced in generous quantities. If you can forgive the foliage issue, this is the showman of the group. It would impress even sold as single bulbs. A winner in my book.

Probably the one Emaryllis put on the shopping list first was ‘Yellow Garden’. While yellow amaryllis selections have become more numerous over the years, they still have some caché in my book. So the expectations were probably higher as a result. The flower color did not disappoint, but neither did it amaze. A silky light yellow, with a bit of green heart, possessed of short trumpet form. The sheer number of buds per tall scape is impressive, with no fewer than seven flowers atop each. But, with a grand total of only three scapes, one of which was produced much later and off to the side, the overall show was muted. But the real issue with this one for Emaryllis was the life span of the flowers themselves. It seemed that just as a soon as three or more blooms were open, one would already be fading. So, it was hard to determine when “peak bloom” could be discerned for photo taking. This was the best of the three for foliage presentation, so if flower longevity improves next season, maybe this one can satisfy to the same degree as the other two.

Now comes the hard part. All three of these are finishing up their bloom cycle, and now there is a lot of foliage to care for, each pot needing abundant light to keep the leaves from flopping over. There will be some elbowing on ye olde amaryllis bench!