Amaryllis belladonna 1st emergence of stalks
Mary Sue Ittner (Fri, 17 Aug 2018 11:34:42 PDT)
On a drive yesterday up the Mendocino Coast, California, we saw so many
in flower you'd think they were native. In my shady garden where I have
a lot planted with not many flowering each year, one spike got stepped
on so it is gone and one other has appeared, but the flowers have not
opened. But most where I live have been flowering for some time. If they
decide to flower in my garden it is always much later than the ones
growing in the sunshine. Besides water I think good light is crucial.
Many of those growing along the roadside or where people have planted
them do not get summer water, but some may get extra runoff from roads
when it is raining and we get more rain than Andrew does in Southern
California although this year was the lowest amount in the 29 years we
have lived on the coast. It was more evenly distributed than the year
before and that helped I am sure.
Mary Sue
This is the time of year when there are usually reports of the A.
belladonna in bloom. So, I wonder why there has been only one so far,
particularly from central and northern California. In the southern
areas of the state, except for a very cautious offering last year
after heavy spring rains, it has not bloomed at all for years. With
me, blooms appear only if the bulbs are watered heavily during the
summer. The lack of rains has caused the old, large clumps to shrink
and desiccate. When and how much they bloom in this area has nothing
to do with temperature. It is dictated by water.
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