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| From In the Garden |
Size matters in all things right? No, not really-at least not in my opinion. But in the case of bulbs it is true that size matters. The larger the bulb the larger the flowers. How many of you have read those glossy bulb catalogs that say something like this, "large number one bulb size" or this "the largest bulbs of all dealers"? The inference is of course that the larger the bulb the larger the flowers and the healthier the flowers. It makes sense since the bulb is a complete plant all wrapped up in a handy little package. Smaller bulbs put out smaller flowers and the larger bulbs put out the largest flowers. One of the bulbs you most want to buy large is an amaryllis and I'll tell you why.
Amaryllis is such a lovely flower and it flowers at a time of the year when we most need some vivid color in our lives. We've all grown amaryllis at one time or another in our lives and my friend Sandy is no stranger to amaryllis bulbs herself. She is an extraordinary gardener and one of my gardening mentors here in my community. She has a green thumb through and through. She happened upon a big secret to growing amaryllis and she shared it with me and now I'm sharing it with you. Size matters!
Sandy went to a special gardening camp last year and purchased the bulb that brought forth the extraordinarily large amaryllis you see above. This is the first year it has bloomed while in her care but wow! What a bunch of blooms! It is a giant amongst amaryllis and she tells me it dwarfs her standard amaryllis. She had a total of nine blooms on this one bulb and the show lasted for weeks. Size matters!
in the garden....
Amaryllis is such a lovely flower and it flowers at a time of the year when we most need some vivid color in our lives. We've all grown amaryllis at one time or another in our lives and my friend Sandy is no stranger to amaryllis bulbs herself. She is an extraordinary gardener and one of my gardening mentors here in my community. She has a green thumb through and through. She happened upon a big secret to growing amaryllis and she shared it with me and now I'm sharing it with you. Size matters!Sandy went to a special gardening camp last year and purchased the bulb that brought forth the extraordinarily large amaryllis you see above. This is the first year it has bloomed while in her care but wow! What a bunch of blooms! It is a giant amongst amaryllis and she tells me it dwarfs her standard amaryllis. She had a total of nine blooms on this one bulb and the show lasted for weeks. Size matters!
in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
Such a pretty flower!
ReplyDeleteHoly Cow ~ Huge blooms for sure. I will have to remember that with bulbs size does matter. Great tip.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
Tina girl
ReplyDeleteWe were right all along eh ? SIZE MATTERS !!! haha
That truly is amazing though .. I don't think I have the "touch" with amaryllis .. but I love seeing how others master it : )
Joy
We are fortunate enough to be able to grow these outside. The bulbs get HUGE over the years. --Randy
ReplyDeleteWow, that's the biggest amaryllis I have ever seen! Carla
ReplyDeleteWow! I have had mine grow big, but that one is huge!!
ReplyDeleteThat is an impressive plant! Love the color, too.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that the allium bulbs that I bought from High Country Gardens were larger when planted and now have much bigger foliage than those from the big box store. So, it will be an interesting comparison to see the blooms.
Good morning all! I tell you I'm a believer in size too after seeing these blooms!
ReplyDeleteNice closeup! I've never really tried to grow them but I probably should. I'm an outdoor gardener and really have trouble getting motivated to keep the plants inside nice and happy.
ReplyDeleteNot only did I get a nicer flower when I bought more expensive (!) bulbs, but each stem had more individual flowers and the bulb put up 3 stems before it was done.
ReplyDeleteSize matters with all bulbs. Those teeny gladioli from the dollar store sometimes have to grow on a year before they send up a bloom stalk.
Those flowers are as big as her head! Beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, sunny and going to be beautiful today and tomorrow! Yippee....
ReplyDeleteWow, that is one huge amaryllis bloom! I received one as a gift a few years ago and had fun with it in the house. I then put it in the garden and it returned the next year but have not seen it pop up since. It is in the planter with my missing tulips so I will dig it up this weekend while hunting for the tulip bulbs...
Did I mention we are going to have a beautiful day today? Windows to the house are already open…
That is a huge bulb. I too will have to consider that when I purchase bulbs.
ReplyDeleteSunny today, temps in fifties, but will get warmer.
Wow that is huge and gorgeous. Size AND a green thumb can do amazing things!!! Well done Sandy.
ReplyDeleteWow! You can crawl right into the bloom in that first photo. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've certainly never seen one that large. I've had several for years. They grow two flower scapes with 4 flowers each but nothing like the size of hers.
ReplyDeleteSo did she share the secret of growing bulbs to huge size?
Marnie
Wow! That's all I can say!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. And beautiful, cheeky beginning, too. And those images are fab. Many thanks. Size matters, size rules. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Marnie, I think growing those big bulbs has something to do with age, maturity, great living conditions and lots of love from the gardener-a perfect match for all plants to grow large!
ReplyDeleteWOW! Amazing photo. That's by far the biggest I've seen.
ReplyDeleteIt is huge! I've never seen one so big before. She definitely has a very green thumb.
ReplyDeleteMy amaryllis bulb, bought right after Xmas, still doesn't even have a stem. It's plenty big but I've been keeping my house pretty cold to save money this year, and I think it needs warmth to bloom. Well, maybe by June, LOL!
ReplyDeleteHoley moley - a knockout for sure. You know, I've never had much luck with them - maybe I should try some BIGGER bulbs!
ReplyDeleteThat's eye catching for sure....I always knew there was a true meaning behind this phrase..thanks for clearing that up for me, lol.
ReplyDeleteThose blooms are amazing! Glad to know this. I'll start measuring from now on.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been ignoring ya -haven't been around much. I just can't do it all!!! LOL Haven't felt good off and on either so that hasn't helped. But I've missed ya!
Wow! that is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI've never grown amarylis and am not sure my thumb is yet green enough! Great 'food for thought' about bulb size. I'll be a bit more selective in the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on bulb size. I enjoyed seeing your crocuses below. Would you believe mine are just coming up? Crocuses in March in Maine! Sorry to be so late to visit. I’ve been in NYC where their spring is as late as ours is early.
ReplyDeleteSo THAT's what that phrase means! What a great general rule to keep in mind when buying bulbs. Do amaryllis bulbs actually continue to get larger? I have the feeling that my tulip and narcissus bulbs tend to get smaller over the years.
ReplyDeleteThe close up with all that red is really nice. Happy spring!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I've never seen an Amaryllis that large Tina and I've grown quite a few myself. I always look for the largest bulbs I can find too ~ of course they have to be the most expensive too. I still haven't ever grown one like this. It's incredible. Now I'm inspired for next winters show!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, Not sure on bulbs growing larger. Surely it takes energy for a bulb to bloom and reproduce offsets so bulbs may get smaller after they bloom and have their big show, but I would think that after that is over and while the leaves are still green the bulbs are gathering energy and food for next year's blooms so they may get larger. An amaryllis usually doesn't go dormant until the fall so for mine it stays in a pot on my porch where it gains energy and food and prepares for next year. I think it is getting bigger though I haven't checked it out but it would seem that with maturity it would get bigger. Sometimes when I dig and divide daffodils (as I am busy doing) some bulbs are very large with the offsets smaller. Sometimes this is not the case and it might be due to fertility or sunshine. But we sure want those big bulbs.
ReplyDeletealoha tina,
ReplyDeletewow thats amazing....you should post this for the hot/loud meme i'm doing end of the month...those flowers are huge!
That is an amazing flower! I will remember now that size matters; your picture is proof.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought it was some kind of graphics. Wow! It's amazing that such a huge flower can grow in a small container. So does the bulb grow bigger with year? If so, I already have an Amaryllis bulb that is about 3 inches in diameter. Would it grow bigger or you gotta get a bigger bulb from dealers?
ReplyDeleteThose are really big ones, and the 3 flowers bloom at the same time. Are they not hybreeds? In my orange amaryllis, the flowers open not simultaneously, and yes size matters here too!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that size does matter, I mean to test that theory this spring. I just had a little plant shopping spree recently, because there were some tubers (I think they're tubers) of Colocasia that were absolutely enormous! My Colocasias last year weren't very spectacular but I'm hoping the big big tuber means huge leaves later this year. Maybe they'll even bloom this time.
ReplyDelete