DECEMBER - 2009

I really went overboard this fall when I had the opportunity to purchase new hippie (Hippeastrum or Amaryllis) bulbs and once again my collection is close to 50 different varieties and/or species plus the 6 or so seedling I kept from the very first cross I ever made as well as 70 or so seedlings from a cross I made last season and a few f3 seedlings from a species sent to me by a fellow "hippieholic" from PA.

1. APHRODITE (2) - Dbl

2. PHILADELPHIA - Dbl

3. APPLEBLOSSOM

4. CLOWN

5. HERCULES

6. ELVAS - Dbl

7. PROMISE (3) - Dbl

8. REMBRANDT VAN RIUJ

9. RED LION

10. ESTRIALA (sp ?)

11. CHICO -Cybister + one extra

12. EMERALD - Cybister

13. RUBY MEYERS - Cybister + one extra

14. BLUSHING BRIDE

15. PINK DIAMOND

16. LUNA

17. EVERGREEN - Cybister + one extra

18. RIO NEGRO - Cybister

19. MATTERHORN – Lg single white

20. GIRAFFE Mini

21. LEMON LIME (replacement)

22. EXOTIC STAR

23. FAIRY TALE - mini

24. EMERALD (second bulb) – Cybister – was NOT as ordered

25. LA PAZ – Cybister – was NOT as ordered

26. ALFRESCO - Dbl

27. ZOMBIE - Dbl

28. BRIGHT SPARK - mini

29. LEMON SORBET - mini yellow/green

30. FAN FAIR - mini

31. LITTLE STAR - micro mini - only 8" tall with tiny 3" blooms, adorable!

32. NYMPH (normal clone) - Dbl

33. RILONA (Mother bulb)

34. SUSAN (Mother bulb)

35. WHITE NYMPH- Dbl

36. BABY DOLL - mini

37. TANGO (Cybister)

38. GREEN DRAGON - mini yellow/green

39. LA PAZ -Cybister - replacement

40. H. roseum

41. H. belladonna (?) Not really sure who/what this one is as it was a bonus, will have to do some research on it.

42. H. papilio - The "Butterfly" Amaryllis

43. H. striatum seedlings (9-10)

Plus 6 of 22 seedlings from MINERVA X WHITE CHRISTMAS that I kept.

I have been growing and blooming "hippies" for at least 30 years but have only recently renewed my keen interest in them with the advent of the miniatures and now the Cybister Hybrids. While the latter has been around for quite some time they have not been widely grown and still are not marketed for the "Holiday Bloom Season".

Living in the mid-West I am not able to grow my bulbs outside year round and do not have space for a greenhouse, so all my growing is done indoors under lights with the plants vacationing out doors during the summer growing months.

I will be posting bloom images and or slide shows as the new bulbs bloom and then as my older bulbs come into flower later this winter. Please feel free to comment and/or add your own experiences with this fascinating group of plants. Also feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Enjoy to show!

Rebecca