“It’s Bloom Day,” the Amaryllis say, “so come inside to play.”
We weren’t ready for Christmas, but then, you had so many other pretty things to look upon. We chose to wait until your entire focus could be on us.
Truly, would you appreciate the deep, dark red of our petals if you had Santa Claus’s velvet coat to compete?
However, some of us are still shy and like the maidens of a Regency novel, we’ll only display a little of our show.
With a cold front barreling south, and 14F temperatures, we know you’re grateful for our company.
I don’t know the names of these Amaryllis because I purchased them as Smith & Hawken kits, once they were on sale. Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is brought to the blogosphere every month by our fair Carol of May Dreams Gardens. This past month, Carol received some wonderful press from Renee Studebaker at the Austin American-Statesman and Elizabeth Licata at Garden Rant for her efforts. I say, let’s all be glad Carol wanted to see flowers in every month of the year.
Your Amaryllis are lovely splashes of Bloom Day color, Dee.
My hubby brought home a couple before Christmas, but I purposely waited to plant them so as to have the blooms during these white winter months. Mine are coming!
kerri´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – January ’09
My amaryllis is about to bloom, and I’m getting so excited! You are right, I’m glad it waited till after the holidays to bloom for me. Mine is an Apple Blossom, and it’s the very first one I’ve ever forced.
RobinL´s last blog post..Some random thoughts and pictures
Your amaryllis are lovely. Mine’s still just a little nub. I hope it shoots up and blooms for February Bloom Day. We’ll see!
Linette´s last blog post..Fun Food Links To Warm You Up for 1/16/09
What a beautiful shade of red! I can see why the amaryllis waited till after Christmas to bloom–it’s the center of attention now.
That sounds pretty cold for Oklahoma!
Rose´s last blog post..GBBD: Did I Mention It’s COLD?
Hi Dee,
Good luck braving the cold temps. We had our below zero temperatures just before Christmas and are currently stuck in fogginess – constant fog for a week is blech. But some paperwhites are growing to keep me company, just as your amaryllis are doing! Regards, VW
VW´s last blog post..Allergy Season Already?!
VW, a week of fogginess? I say blecch. That might actually be worse than anything we’ve had so far. It’s just chilly. I bought myself a new sweater to celebrate.~~Dee
Love those amaryllis! I’ve got several that are bloomed out but never fear, there are 3 that are working on bloom stalks as I type!
Cindy, MCOK´s last blog post..Misguided Monarchs
Woo-hoo, I hope we get to see them.~~Dee
Lovely winter colour! Thanks for your visits and wishes, Dee, I have rather a lot of catching up to do – a belated Happy New Year to you!
Lucy x
Lucy Bloom´s last blog post..Here come the girls!
Hi Lucy, dear, thanks for stopping by. I know you’ve been quite busy.~~Dee
Wow, Dee – those are so pretty. I have one that isn’t anywhere near blooming – I don’t know what her problem is! But I loved seeing yours. Stay Warm.
Diana´s last blog post..Bulldogged blooms and buds
Hi Diana, perhaps she just isn’t ready. 🙂 ~~Dee
Amaryllis is not considered a Christmas bloom over here. We grow them from November to February. Over the Christmas period it’s mainly Paperwhites, Pointsettias and Hyacinths. Your Amaryllis are all very pretty. Happy GBBD Dee!
Yolanda Elizabet´s last blog post..Happiness is ………..
Isn’t interesting how different countries have such different customs. I love learning about other places. Happy Bloom Day to you too, Yolanda Elizabet.~~Dee
Joco, they do grow outside, they bloom here in Texas mid spring before it gets too hot. I’m not sure how far North the’d naturalize…it would be a good topic to research.
Nancy´s last blog post..Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, January 2009
I love that deep red!
Nice spot of color in this dreary winter, Dee. We are all so grateful to Carol for starting us thinking about having flowers even in winter.
carolyngail´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day -January 15, 09
And, we are lucky you started the poetry muse day so that we would all think higher thoughts for a day or two at least. 🙂 ~~Dee
Hi Dee;)
I love amaryllis no matter how I get to see them…in person, or on a blog:)
Yours is really red–a deep shade of red, which is prettier than many I’ve seen.! Jan
Hi Jan, it’s now starting to lighten up as the bloom ages. Interesting to watch.~~Dee
I like your Regency heroine metaphor with that pastel Amaryllis. And you are so right about Carol and GBBD. After only 5 months of blogging, I am so looking forward to the 15th of each month!
Linda from Each Little World´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: 01.15.09
Linda, I am so glad. You’ve come a long way in five months. Wow, I always forget you haven’t been blogging longer.~~Dee
I love your amaryllis story! How very true. I got suckered in by the red grocery store amaryllis too-how can you not?
Dreamybee´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day-January
Exactly, Dreamybee, but next year, I’m going to invest in a few from Brent & Becky’s for a little something special.~~Dee
I’m so glad I have a big fat amaryllis bud ready to open now, and not at Christmas time. Your amaryllis are right, better to wait until they can be the star attraction.
Loved your approach to bloom day today!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – January 2009
Thanks, you know how it is when the plants take over.~~Dee
I got one on sale from Target, Dee, which I’m still waiting on for a bloom. It’s coming soon.
I hope you stay warm over the next couple of days. It’s even going to be cold in Austin.
Pam/Digging´s last blog post..Bloom Day in the new garden
Pam, I think we’re sending the cold air south now, and we’ll get some warm air next. I’m looking forward to being outside.~~Dee
Tell your flowers I am glad they were here for this month’s GBBD. Great show!
Sue´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day 1/15/09
Thank you, Sue. I will let the girls know.~~Dee
No matter when they bloom, Amaryllis is always welcome.
Donna
MNGarden´s last blog post..GBBD Friends
Mother Nature, I couldn’t say it better myself.~~Dee
Hi Dee, what intuitive flowers you have, to know they could get your full attention better now than at Christmas time. And how about our Carol, hitting the big time. Next thing you know, they’ll be talking about bloom day posts in the New York Times or Washington Post, (I wish). Your new lens is a wonder, I often think about getting that type of camera, but wouldn’t know how to use it anyway. I am going to check out the pointers from the writer’s convention though, that would be most helpful, especially about light. Thanks for that. And my local bookstore closed, now all we have is walmart to buy books. 🙁
Frances
Frances´s last blog post..Bloom Day January 2009-Few But Faire
Oh, Frances, my heart clutched when I read about your bookstore. Wal-Mart is so not enough. The D40X can be completely automatic which is very cool, but you get the SLR functions too. So, either way, auto or not, you can take good photos. However, may I say, your P&S photos are wonderful, and you do a much better job than I did with mine.~~Dee
Hiya Dee,
For some reason amaryllis has always intimidated me. Possibly because they look so huge for an indoor plant.
I wonder if they could be grown outside? Do you reckon? Flowering later of course.
joco´s last blog post..Playing about
Hi Joco, yes, people in the south grow them all the time, and here, they flower in late spring with the daylilies if I remember correctly. But, Amaryllis are not intimidating at all. Try a kit for your first time in the water. Just make sure not to water them too much, and they perform their magic all by themselves. They look hard, but are so not.~~Dee
My Amaryllis didn’t bloom for Christmas either and was happy about it too. Now is when they are needed. However mine do not look as good as yours!
GBBD http://tinyurl.com/9sqpe2
Helen, I saw a photo of yours, and I thought it looked great.~~Dee
I think you have the Appleblossom and maybe some variation on the traditional Red Lion. Gorgeous! Mine are not out yet.
Yes, Eliz, I think you’re so right.~~Dee
Aren’t amaryllis wonderful? I loved them in IL and love them in TX, too. My Smith and Hawkin is blooming, too, Dee. The flowers are double but they’re not such a gorgeous dark & velvety red as yours! Wow.
Happy GBBD!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Happy Bloom Day, Annie. I want to come over and see yours.~~Dee
Pretty proof that Amaryllis isn’t just for Christmas anymore!
jgh´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in Nyack, NY
What a nice way to look at it.~~Dee
when I see Amaryllis, I think January. Don’t know why-my hardy ones bloom in the spring and summer. Probably because that’s when the ‘left overs’ go on sale. What beauties you have:)
Yes, Carla, I like them after too. A lot of them are hardy here in Oklahoma, but I’ve never planted any outside.~~Dee
Dee, I like this post…it’s short–but sweet:) It’s nice to have your amaryllis blooming late, isn’t it. Gives you some beauty even after the holidays.
I had a pretty one, but it didn’t last more than a week this year! It really was weird, compared to others I’ve had in previous years. But the blooms were still nice, despite their short stay.
I still haven’t done my GBBD post, I need to get on the ball>
Thank you. The last two were so long, I didn’t want to bore everyone. Let me know when you get your GBBD post up & I’ll come see.~~Dee
What a gorgeous shade of red.
Quite lovely.
K
Karen – An Artists Garden´s last blog post..Hope and Promise, GBBD January
Thank you, Karen.~~Dee
Wonderful blooms to have in January Dee! They would compete with Christmas, it’s nice they bloomed now instead. 🙂 Yay Carol for getting some much deserved attention!
Racquel´s last blog post..January Blooms (GBBD)
Racquel, amen to all you wrote. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee
Thanks, Racquel.~~Dee
Love your amaryllis, especially the red one.
Daphne´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2009
Thank you, Daphne, it is a nice dark one this year.~~Dee
Stay warm! If only that wind wouldn’t blow so much!
Lovely red color on that amaryllis. I DO wish I’d tried to grow one this year.
Jean´s last blog post..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – January 2009
Jean, they are so very easy. This year, try one.~~Dee
Now I’m really kicking myself for not buying those kits I saw on sale at Target. Those are just beautiful. And, as my Bloom Day post shows, I could use some more flowers.
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog post..January Bloom Day – Stir Crazy Edition
Your post was hilarious as always. Anytime you see Smith & Hawken stuff on sale at Target, I say go for it.~~Dee
These amarylis are great Dee. We do appreciate them more when nothing else is blooming.
Hip Hip Hooray for Carol too.
Lisa, dear, hip, hip hooray for you too. You always visit my blog, and I thank you.~~Dee
Dee, Good morning! I do hope you are keeping warm and curling up with a good book…I know you have them, I saw a photo of your bookshelves! Great amaryllis photos. The sweet pink one looks a little like Apple Blossom, but there are so many and I have zero experience with them! Gail
Gail´s last blog post..Bloom Day January 2009
Hi Gail, after perusing yours, I think it is Apple Blossom. I am pretty warm, and as soon as I check everyone else out this a.m., I’m off to read.~~Dee
That dark red one really speaks to me, Dee! Love those velvety-looking flowers.
Brenda Kula´s last blog post..Chaos In The Garden Room
Me too, although the pink is nicer now that it is open. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee
That red is wonderful! A real treat in mid-winter.
Susan Tomlinson´s last blog post..A potting bench/bird blind
Hi Susan, it certainly has brightened my week, I tell ya.~~Dee
Love that red one! It is great to have any blooms now.
tina´s last blog post..Bloom Day January 2009
Hi Tina, the pink finally opened her blooms after I got home this afternoon. She is beautiful too, but I am a sucker for the red.~~Dee
Lovely amaryllis, Dee. That pink one is just so sweet and delicate. Very pretty!
Colleen´s last blog post..January Bloom Day
Thank you. I love her too.~~Dee