Amaryllis belladonna in full bloom
Ken (Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:09:02 PDT)

Beautiful, Nhu!

I was visiting the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia, CA (inland suburb of LA,
probably USDA zone 9) on Saturday, where their Amaryllis belladonna plantings
(likely hybrids) are beginning to bloom under the shade of Crepe Myrtle
(Lagerstroemia indica) trees with flowers of similar colors. They also have
large plantings in the open, full sun, which are just beginning to show scapes
and through the years seem to consistently bloom after those in shade:

http://flickr.com/photos/amarguy/…
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Upon return home, to my delight, I discovered that one of my possible 2006
Brunsvigia josephinae X Amaryllis belladonna crosses appears to be sending up a
flower spike. It seems an early bloom to me, both in its seasonal timing and
age from seed (6 years.) The foliage (taken last October) appears more similar
to its B.josephinae seed parent, with smaller, more narrow leaves, but
exhibiting the same bluish-grey coloring of its mother's foliage.

http://flickr.com/photos/amarguy/…
http://flickr.com/photos/amarguy/…
http://flickr.com/photos/amarguy/…

Ken Blackford
San Diego, CA
USDA Zone 10 ... possibly 11.

________________________________
From: Nhu Nguyen <xerantheum@gmail.com>
...
It's time for a full blooming of these gorgeous plants in Berkeley ...
http://flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/…
http://flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/…
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...
Enjoy!
Nhu