Becca's Hippeastrums

And So It Begins Anew. . . .

2011-11-14T23:24:00.001-08:00

I found someone to take the majority of my virused bulbs to grow on for seed production in a dedicated greenhouse. The lucky thing is one can get seed from virused bulbs that are clean of the virus and he is wanting to work toward a strain of hippies that are immune to the Mosaic virus. I am pleased to be a part of this endeavor and not have to destroy all of my bulbs.

I also have 6 virus free bulbs coming from him, mostly miniatures and one double flowered variety I've been wanting but hasn't been available. On order are:

Belladonna - Mini
Bright Spark - Small
Cupido - mini
Emerald - Cybister Hybrid
Harlequin - Double
Lemon Sorbet -Mini, and
Trentino - Mini

I also picked up a couple of boxed offerings from one of the discount stores that offered a % of the sale to the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. those two are PINK DIAMONDS and APHRODITE. (I have had to toss one of the two small APHRODITE bulbs as it began looking suspicious for the virus, better safe than sorry). These are being kept separate from all the others.

Up-date on LITTLE STAR, instead of taking a long rest the mother bulb has begun to push up 2 bloom stems that I hope to be able to make crosses on using stored pollen as well as a couple of self pollinationed pods.

Newest seeds sown are from a self fertilized pod on Matterhorn, a lovely large white, one of only 3 round flowered seedlings I have growing right now and all are upstairs under the lights of the small plant stand in my office. It will be 3 to 4 years before I see any bloom on any of them.

Will post images of the new bulbs as they come into flower.

Ciao!

2011-10-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

Summer 2011 Disaster Strikes

This is so hard to write. All these beautiful images are all I have left of 75% or better of my mature hippie collection. Hippeastrum Mosaic Virus has hit my collection and hit it hard. All of the plants that were in the basement (wintered there) are infected, including 2 different sets of seedlings. Only a few plants remain unaffected, but away from the new babies.

This is what is left and appears to be healthy:

H.papilio
SANTIAGO
EXOTIC STAR - 2 PLUS SMALL PUPS
RED LION &
MINERVA (I suspect they may also be infected, so they are away from the others)
GREEN DRAGON (actually two plus one has 10 or so pups)
LIMA, but it hasn't been growing really well so I will have to watch it closely.
BABY DOLL
H. roseum
APHRODITE - 2 babies

I have kept LITTLE STAR in spite of the virus and hope to be able to self it or cross it onto something so I can grow a clean population of it from seeds or at leas a cross.

The following crosses are doing well:

These are all miniature or Cybister type Crosses -

BABY DOLL X ESTELLA (3)
EXOTIC START X CYBISTER ROSE (4)
RUBY MEYERS X papilio
CYBISTER ROSE X CHICO
LA PAZ X SANTIAGO (3)
H papilio X CHICO (12)
LUNA X self (12)
CHICO X EVERGREEN (3)
LEMON STAR X self (1)
EVERGREEN X TIRAMISU (6)
JUNGLE STAR X EVERGREEN (4)

These will be full, round flowers and BIG!

MOONLIGHT X CHARISMA (8)
CHARISMA X MOONLIGHT (5)

I was also fortunate in getting two huge seed pods on MATTERHORN, so hopefully they will finish ripening as a cut flower in water and I can try to grow some of them out. with the exception of H. papilio and Santiago, I have none of the parents.

Later I will post a list of what was lost. If I hadn't found that Amaryllis can grow happily with 4 to 6 hours of direct sun I wouldn't have discovered the virus as it doesn't show itself on plants grown indoors or in full shade.

Better Image of GIRAFFE

2010-01-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

EXOTIC STAR and FAIRY TALE are on their last bloom stems and the "family resemblance" is very strong among the three:

FIRST NEW BLOOM of 2010

2010-01-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

One of my new miniatures added to the collection just this fall. Strikingly handsome and wonderful color! It H. papilio parentage really shines through. As nice, if not nicer that 'Exotic Star' both, unfortunately are not heavy bloomers in that they do not have many buds per stem. 'Giraffe' has a higher bud count and 2 stems up; 'Exotic Star' averaged 3 buds on 4 stems, best being 4 on this last bloom stem.

I've brought several more potted bulbs up stairs the last couple of days to bring them into bloom a bit quicker. H. 'Belladonna', H. 'Trentino', H. 'White Nymph' to name a few. 'Trentino' was a Christmas gift from a dear friend in GA.

Felt sorry for a couple of (supposedly) H. 'Appleblossom' bulbs at the local WM, finally marked down to 50% and still to high if you ask me! I am actually hoping these are mis-labeled! and turn out to be 'Gilmar' or even a double. Both have been cleaned of all soft spots and dead tissue and are soaking in water to hydrate the roots and will pot them together in the same pot tomorrow. They are not that big and will need considerable TLC through the end of summer. If they do not show signs of wanting to rest I will keep them growing upstairs where it is much warmer than in the basement light garden.

Tiny 'Little Star' is forming seed pods! It looks like the cross took on both blooms! Perhaps there will be new little ones in the near future!?

Another Year Comes to a Close

2009-12-29T12:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! Where did this year go!? Sure went by quickly and doesn't seem to slow down these last few days either! At least I have my hippies in bloom as well as the African Violets growing in the 55 gallon terrarium. The last Phalaenopsis Orchid I had upstairs closed it's finale blooms just yesterday, but the one in bloom in the basement light garden is till going strong.

'Alfresco' is the newest HIppies to open a bud. Others that are close are 'White Nymph' and 'Giraffe'; there will be more, many more as the New Year progresses and the bulbs wake and begin to grow again. With a total of 45 (give or take) the show should go one for awhile.

I've added A search box for Amazon.com if it ever wakes up and works) you can use for checking out the gardening tools and supplies they have available, I hope you will use it and that you find as many bargains as I did this year! All I have left to say now is,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Everyone, Happy New Year!

NEW VIEWS of LEMON and LIME, FAIRY TALE

2009-12-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have 2 or 3 more Hippies that are supposedly green flowered; 'Emerald' a Cybister Hybrid, 'Green Dragon' and 'Luna'. The first two are potted and I hope to see bloom from them in 6 to 8 weeks and 'Luna' is yet to be potted up. As for who will be blooming next, it looks like it will be 'Alfresco' a white double. 'White Nymph' is coming along slowly in the cool bscement As are all the other potted ones, the newly potted ones are even under the lights yet; I need to make spots fo them. Something that is easier said than done - just like in my outdoor perennial and Dayliliy beds! Imagine that! . . . .

LITTLE STAR SECOND SET

2009-12-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

This turned out so nicely I had to post and share it! This little Amaryllis is just amazing. For a small bulb as well as the diminutive size of the blooms and stem it can really put forth a big show! Only 5 buds n this second bloom stem but with 6 the first time that's way more than most of my full sized cultivars have done, although Rilona' does have 6 buds on it's first stem.

Blessing of the Season

2009-12-22T11:03:00.001-08:00

It is so refreshing to see a corporation as large as Google who has not forgotten the ture meaning of Christmas or forgotten about the reason for the Season.

I am proud to be associated with Google, even if only in a very tiny way.

Blessings of the Season on the entire Google Family!

in reference to: Happy Holidays from Google (view on Google Sidewiki)

Tis The Season!

2009-12-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

('Little Star' is the featured bloom.)

CONTRASTS

2009-12-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

This was supposed to have been 'Emerald' one of the "Cybister Hybrids", but the same supplier who got 'La Paz' wrong, got this one wrong too! This has to be 'Picotee'; it is the only cultivar I know of with the red, penciled edge. A second bloom cluster shows on the lower right.

This first of two stems on 'Rilona' has 6 buds, with 4 being open today. Color is off as this is too red; 'Rilona' is a soft, pastel orange, an old, old favorite!

FAIRY TALE

2009-12-21T17:25:00.001-08:00

'Fairy Tale' with 'Lemon and Lime' in the backgound.One of my favorite shots!

LEMON and LIME

2009-12-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Lovely pale lime green, similar to 'Lemon Sorbet' yet slightly different petal shape and color. I still have 'Jade Serpent' to bloom. Only recently potted so it will be several weeks before it opens.

2009-12-20T16:25:00.001-08:00

Sold to me as 'La Paz' a "Cybister Hybrid", which it is definitely NOT. Could be 'Black Pearl' or 'Basuto'

2009-12-20T16:22:00.001-08:00

2009-12-20T16:20:00.001-08:00

2009-12-20T16:19:00.001-08:00

2009-12-20T16:17:00.001-08:00

DECEMBER - 2009

2009-12-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

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.

APHRODITE (2) - Dbl
PHILADELPHIA - Dbl
APPLEBLOSSOM
CLOWN
HERCULES
ELVAS - Dbl
PROMISE (3) - Dbl
REMBRANDT VAN RIUJ
RED LION
ESTRIALA (sp ?)
CHICO -Cybister + one extra
EMERALD - Cybister
RUBY MEYERS - Cybister + one extra
BLUSHING BRIDE
PINK DIAMOND
LUNA
EVERGREEN - Cybister + one extra
RIO NEGRO - Cybister
MATTERHORN – Lg single white
GIRAFFE Mini
LEMON LIME (replacement)
EXOTIC STAR
FAIRY TALE - mini
EMERALD (second bulb) – Cybister – was NOT as ordered
LA PAZ – Cybister – was NOT as ordered
ALFRESCO - Dbl
ZOMBIE - Dbl
BRIGHT SPARK - mini
LEMON SORBET - mini yellow/green
FAN FAIR - mini
LITTLE STAR - micro mini - only 8" tall with tiny 3" blooms, adorable!
NYMPH (normal clone) - Dbl
RILONA (Mother bulb)
SUSAN (Mother bulb)
WHITE NYMPH- Dbl
BABY DOLL - mini
TANGO (Cybister)
GREEN DRAGON - mini yellow/green
LA PAZ -Cybister - replacement
H. roseum
H. belladonna (?) Not really sure who/what this one is as it was a bonus, will have to do some research on it.
H. papilio - The "Butterfly" Amaryllis
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