Dear friends. After about 2 months, actually more, my half dozen or so Crinum have collectively put out their last bloom of the season. 2 'Ellen Bousanquet' and a single 'Catherine', all three from late stalks. On the same day and while juggling a few pots, I was shocked to see a single pink and white flower atop a bare stem. After years and years of growing various, numerous cvs, here was a fully open flower of Amaryllis belladonna. The label identified this as one of the BX offering from the late Les Hannibal. A single bulb in a gallon pot. This is an odd growing season -much cooler and wetter then usual with no temps to 100 and a couple of mornings in the low 50s; even rainfall most of the summer (I have weeds to prove it). The second day another bud is almost open and there are at least a couple more on the head. No others show any sign of blooming. It is a very fine flower with pink veins and white background somewhat like the wiki picture of Hannibal selections labelled MLH 14 <http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/…> and MLH 23 <http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/…> . Very nice I must admit. Now what do I do. I have been giving away pots of non-blooming Amaryllis and now this pops up. Will it ever bloom again or just the odd summer? As I said Shock and Awe. Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +
