It can’t all be bad

Reading Emaryllis.com posts can be a bummer sometimes. Often new varieties are added each season with suitable fanfare, but much of the time the news is of the latest mislabeling fiasco. Not today folks! We now take a break from our regularly scheduled carping about the state of the bulb industry to report on three correctly labeled amaryllises that could well have ended up in the pantheon of noteworthy switcheroos. Emaryllis really let fly when both ‘Solomon’ and ‘Rembrandt van Rijn’ came in as such healthy, happy bulbs, only to betray their identities at bloom time. The same company in question for those did supply ‘Bogota’ just as ordered, thank the Gods. This one hasn’t been purchased for several years, and our dear readers deserve updated photos to gander at whenever possible. ‘Bogota’ was and is one of those category busters, not fitting neatly into any of the naming contrivances that growers use to describe a size or shape amaryllis flower. Too robust for the cybister/spider groups but sometimes placed there, let’s face it, ‘Bogota’ may defy categorization, but it is a beauty is unquestionable. Gallery image updated, and description updated as well. Let’s move on…

‘Clown’ was brought out way back in 1980. I liked the 80’s quite a bit, but clowns not so much. Yet, when I saw this one in a bin at a local nursery I was overcome by nostalgia, even expecting that it would probably be the newer but similar ‘Popov’. Either one of these will knock you off your rocker with their blazingly big, bold faces. Having noted ‘Clown’ offered by several retailers this season as well as being found on some wholesalers lists led to the right decision that day at the nursery. Displaying this brash harlequin on the amaryllis bench in the living room window meant that no matter what cool little exotic beauty was open at the same time, all eyes were on this one. This clown’s magic still works.

And here we have a  much needed new look at a variety that was so often used as a substitute for completely unrelated varieties that I took it for granted. Then it went MIA for years, and was thought sadly deleted from the grower’s lists. It is noted for sprouting out anxiously, so it would be believable if it were found to be too much trouble to program correctly for the dry bulb market. Its tall stems and unique coloration must have not been lost on the flower arranger’s eye, for along with many other cut-flower types, ‘Merengue’ was offered by Royal Colors this season. The warm burnt orange and mahogany tones may appear autumnal, but what a nice warm flower to look at during the coldest days of winter. For years I lamented the fact that the original gallery photo was taken before I had the slightest clue what to do with a camera, a second chance to see this old friend has rectified that. Three cheers for our three returning guests!