Shock and Awe - Crinum
James Waddick (Wed, 01 Sep 2004 18:04:40 PDT)

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 +