Star of Holland 2023

‘Star of Holland’ was officially registered by De Oudendam as ‘Ster van Holland’ in 1984. Emaryllis was a budding Horticulture major in college at that time, and missed the boat in terms of seeing it in person. While not officially marked as out of production, it’s safe to say it hasn’t been sold in the U.S. of A since the year 2000 or before. The firm has registered many popular cultivars over the years. ‘Bolero’, ‘Christmas Gift’, ‘Denver’, ‘Tosca’ and ‘Vera’ are all still produced. ‘Superstar’ is grown, but possibly only in Brazil at this point. The lovely ‘Louise’ mentioned in our “Serene Green Dreams” blog from last year…who knows? It was registered in 2010, making it the last registration from De Oudendam on record. The last time E purchased a ‘Star of Holland’ kit was in 2015. It yielded a not-so-well-performing ‘Amigo’. Buying this kit via mail order is just intriguing for the fact that these older amaryllis names keep being recycled when there is no chance that the named variety is what is in the box. The interest here is in whether the kit packagers are going to try to use something that is red with a white star center, or just throw any old Hippeastrum hybrid in good supply into the box. Let’s have a look!

This gift box kit was purchased online. Doing a search for amaryllis box kits yielded many results, but the chance to rip into a kit with a doubtless mislabel was just the kind of bait we love. Since Emaryllis is always on the hunt for a bargain, the $10.97 price made this a done deal. The kit arrived November 20, 2023, and was potted the next day.

With a stated bulb size of 24-26 cm, this little guy will have its work cut out. Our other two kits have 26/28, and 28/30 size claims. Can this one punch above its weight?

The box states that this is a Dutch grown bulb. Could it be that through connections possible only within the Netherlands that this little kit could contain the true ‘Star van Holland’? Don’t hold your breath! The watering instructions here are particularly egregious. Water once a week after potting, and twice a week as soon as growth commences. A recipe for disaster in the form rotting roots and bulb, not to mention annoying fungus gnats.

This kit is pretty bare bones. The coir disc from India will need warm to hot water to allow it to moisten and expand. No bigee. The bulb itself measures 25.5 cm which is just 5 cm shy of its stated maximum, but still on the upper end of claim size. The roots are neatly chopped very short, but they are fleshy and full of promise. But, Lort! How many times to we have to go over this? A pot without drainage holes is a disaster in the making. These bulbs need aeration in a big way. Combined with the instructions to water on a time-based regimen rather than as needed makes such pots “perpota non grata” here. Emaryllis takes a sharp utility knife to the bottom of the pot to create drainage where none was provided.

The coir disc expands (in very warm water) to the perfect volume for this pot and bulb. The pot, now with drainage forcibly made via box cutter, looks pretty good. The color and proportion to the potted bulb are pleasing to these jaded eyes. Off to warm, bright place for growing on!

Less than two weeks to Christmas, and we have only the beginnings of a scape pushing up. Promising? We have our doubts…this scape is moving very slowly compared to the norm. It also isn’t very plump, but rather slim and pointy. Will it yield only a couple of flowers?

That tall foliage may be bringing a touch of anxiety. It is so tall that flopping seems possible, yet the leaves are nice and firm by way of working roots and decent lighting during growth. So here we have it! Our ‘Star of Holland’ kit has done at least the minimum by flowering. The lush foliage attending the bloom is a bonus, and frames our amaryllis nicely. The hitch? The usual. This is of course not ‘Star of Holland’, but that was to be expected. Here we have an example of ever-popular ‘Minerva’. This actually represents an attempt to provide something fairly close to the box photos in that there is red and white on the face of the flower, but the proportions of each are wrong. Current cultivars like ‘Design’ or ‘Stargazer’ would be better, and ‘Barbados’ would make a killer substitute! Quit dreaming, Emaryllis.

It turns out our kit’s carton was dropping a heavy hint. On one side the photo used shows ‘Minerva’. Someone seemed to leave a little room for floral interpretation. It does indeed seem that anyone keeping the box long enough to compare images would find that at least this one is a match. Diabolical!

Though the scape sheath sure looked narrow during development, our fears of less than the normal four flowers have been put to rest. We’ve go three more buds to go. But what about that second scape promised by the carton photos? That looks like a mean feat for this little bulb.

In the interim of time waiting for a second scape that may never come, we have to pause to just celebrate a beautiful sight. This may represent a peak of sorts, as the first flower to open will lose turgor over the next day or two, as new buds open. The vibrant, frilled blooms of ‘Minerva’ are hard to rival for pure cheer-power. Even on bench of new and beautiful varieties on our amaryllis bench, she shines.

While the scape sheath that emerged from this bulb was notably skinny, right up to opening, it has delivered a welcome feat. ‘Minerva’ is typical of the older cultivars in that each scape generally bears four flowers. Many amaryllises are sold promising two scapes and eight flowers indicating a baseline standard; more than that is just gravy. And here we have a bonus situation, a fifth bud. It may not open as large as its predecessors, but in a tiny kit bulb it makes for a most pleasant surprise.

This amounts to a really nice display as the first flowers fade, and the fourth and fifth are freshly open. The tall, arching foliage has amazed in its ability to remain upright. It adds to the display, making it like a floral arrangement rather than a stem with flowers on top. It’s a balanced, complete look.

It looks like we have a wrap, and a changing of the guard. Our ‘Minerva’-not-‘Star-of-Holland’ that could, did. It looks extremely doubtful that a second scape will develop. It looks extremely likely that the foliage will not remain upright much longer. It has gotten very tall, and a little wonky at this point. We’ll probably trim some leaves back several inches and wait for the faint possibility of a second scape. That fifth flower has taken us just past mid January, and any scape providing a show for over two weeks is more than acceptable. We give this kit a passing grade and then some. Considering the fairly attractive pot, great height of the plant with no tipping issues from our well hydrated bulb, Emaryllis thinks the new year is looking pretty bright!