Friday, October 31, 2008

Amazon Lily of the family of Amaryllis

 
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This is a member of the Amaryllis family and is known to me as Amazon lily. I believe I started out with three bulbs but they have multiplied greatly through the years and now I have many overflowing pots of them. They are lightly and pleasantly fragrant,and are a welcome sight in the winter when they typically bloom. They bloom in response to warm temperatures followed by cooler temps. But they can also be triggered to bloom by allowing them to dry down a bit and then watering. This is what happened to this one blooming in late summer.
These bulbs are not hardy and must be kept in a pot or else dug and brought inside for the cooler weather. The leaves can be eaten by slugs, so I try to keep a sharp eye out for that sort of damage. They have also been bothered occasionally by mealy bugs but a good wash off with soapy water gets rid of them for a while. Once you have them, I don't believe you can ever completely rid your plants of them. I recommend jettisoning any plant that gets them. But there are some things that are just too good to toss, and this is one of them.

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