Bloomin Friday: About Those Amaryllis

As you may remember, a few weeks ago I planted four amaryllis bulbs I had ordered from White Flower Farm.  And then, I "rescued" a poor grocery store amaryllis . . . shivering in the cold at the front entrance of the store and subjected to the constant bell-ringing of the Salvation Army brigade.

I knew that none of my bulbs would be blooming by Christmas -- and I was totally fine with that.  My intention was not holiday-bloom . . . but blooming delight later in the season.  When those dark days of winter set in and there aren't so many bright spots.

Let's check in and see how those bulbs are progressing, shall we?

First, there's Mr. Grocery Store Rescue amaryllis.

Lovely . . . in that just basic white way.  I love the hints of neon green in the center and on the tips of the petals.  There are two blooms open now; two more on the way -- and an entire second stalk to go.

Two of my White Flower Farm bulbs are really on the move.  This one has two stalks that emerged together, and have been shooting up in a kind of neck-and-neck race.

While this one sent up one stalk right away -- and I can just see a new one emerging from the leaves.

What I'm loving about these White Flower Farm bulbs is how big and strong and healthy the stems and buds are.  There is a notable difference between Mr. Grocery Store Amaryllis and these bulbs from White Flower Farm.  I can't wait to see these bulbs explode into bloom.

But.

Then there's this one.

Leaves.

No evidence of a bud at all.

(And, trust me, I check several times a day.)

The bulb looks very healthy; the leaves are strong.  But there has been no growth in days.  And no bud.  I'm afraid this one may be a disappointment.  (Although I'm still holding hope that maybe it's just . . . slow.)

And then, there is this one.  My favorite!  This was the biggest bulb of them all -- so big that it wouldn't fit in my chosen glass containers.  (I had to dig out a huge vase for this guy.)

This one was slow to bud, too.  But look at it!  Look at the colors in the bud!  I'm so excited.  I just know this one is going to be a stunner when it pops open.  (And see that bit of green at the bottom of the bulb?  This amaryllis is sending up an entire second "bulb" from the bottom.  It's super healthy and wants to grow.)

These bulbs are bringing me much hygge-enjoyment (except for that one I'm fretting over. . . but what else would gardening be without fretting).  I'm looking forward to sharing their blooms with you in 2017.

Happy New Year, everyone.