They will be fine, Kitty! Just pot them up like you'd do any hippi bulb, and give them some time to adjust... they probably won't bloom the first year, but after they get settled in their new pots and adjust to their new conditions, they'll do what all hippis do... flower!

The bulbs that I treat like regular houseplants typically bloom in very early spring... so I'm thinking that if you allow yours to just grow naturally, you'll certainly get blooms by spring of 2009... unless they decide to surprise you with blooms this coming summer or fall! I'm not sure about that... they could flower earlier!

Good luck with your new bulbs! You're so lucky! A couple of dozen is a lot of bulbs! What variety are they? Pictures, please! :-)

kitty, most hippeastrum come from climates much different than yours; or mine even. Give it a try and see what you can do with them. I bet you CAN grow them.

Let us know how they turn out and get those pictures up soon! :)

Thanks to all for the vote of confidence. I forgot to say that she did NOT know what they were. I would gladly trade a few. How would we go about this? -- I'm still very new on the forum. I mean, what do I need with yet 18 all the same (already gave six away to a friend)? Some are fairly good sized and I would expect a bloom by next year. She said they were very, very crowded -- they're not even round, but rather flat on two sides or triangular shaped, etc. Still not up to posting pics. Did set up a new WebShots account today, though.

18 you say??? That's nuthin!! I think I was at 18 about, um, my first year??? LOL You cannot have to many Kit, trust me!

She sent me 24, all the same variety. I prefer to have somewhat of an assortment. Right now I'm at 120 and counting (at least two more on the way). Then I have my 'want' list yet. Wish there was more room, but it's shared with too many other plants to even begin to list. Orchids, for one, another addiction. Then, what happens when I get hooked on polinating and starting seedlings? Do have room in the basement under lights, but the height thingy becomes a problem as they grow, I think.

If they are from a garden, they might be xJohnsonii. They look good in a clump. You can plant them in one large container and watch them flower together, at the same time...

Soultan beat me to it! That's what I was going to suggest... planting them in a group in one large container so they can flower all together and look like a little amaryllis forest!

I have one cluster of my Supreme Garden bulbs in a single container, and I think they're going to look great when in bloom together!

Thanks Soultan. I looked it up and found a link. Says it could be hardy to zone 5 (that me!) Wouldn't that be wonderful.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/04304.html

Jodi, right now they're in pots of six or so. Probably will be a couple years before I can expect anything. Would be sooooooooooo excited if even just one would bloom. Wonder how big the bulbs would need to be to bloom.

If they are xJohnsonii, they don't need to be big. At least, if we got flowering sized bulbs this year, then it means flowering size starts at around golfball sized bulbs for xJohnsonii. When they are in bloom, then take pictures, and we will try to find out what they are.

Kitty... I highly doubt they are hardy to zone 5! They may tolerate zone 7 with protection, but zone 5 is out of the question! I firmly believe that if you attempt to plant them in the garden, and do not lift them before it gets too cold, you will lose them... they will turn to mush and die!

I have recently seen a couple of different catalogs advertising garden amaryllis that they claim to be hardy all the way to zone 5, but I would not trust that they are! If you do decide to plant them out north of zone 7, and you want to keep them, dig them before frost in your area and bring them indoors!

Oh, if it were only true that hippis could be grown in northern gardens year 'round! That would make me so very happy! But the only amaryllis I know that can be grown outdoors the full year are the Lycoris squamigera, or Naked Ladies... Surprise Lilies, Resurrection Lilies... the only true Amaryllis!

Speaking of... my Naked Ladies are beginning to push up growth, and have about a 1/2 inch of green leaves already sticking up out of the garden soil! Is this normal for this time of year? Or is it just because of the goofy weather we've been having lately... semi-warm for a day or two or three, and then back to frigid... I hope they don't die because of the freeze/thaw weather! This is the first year I've grown them, having just planted them last fall!

Am on the phone with my Florida friend who just transplanted these bulbs, and she says they are the size of baseballs, so probably not xJohnsonii. She kept the larger bulbs, so will look forward to hers blooming and I'll be able to share -- then we should all know. Thanks for all your input. Stay tuned . . .

Soultan, you make me wonder if my giveaways-given to ME are johnsonii...They came from an older neighbor of a friend who has clumps and clusters of them in a huge garden bed and just weeds them out each year. I have about a 1/2 dozen that I mixed in with my no-names and other immature bulbs around the A/C unit. They were like tennis balls or smaller.

I don't know. The xJohnsonii bulbs I got are quite small, but they are promised to be blooming size... It does not mean of course, that that is the maximum they can grow to...
Make sure though that your friend does not throw the extra bulbs away that whe weeds out... Take them all and you could have a pretty red amayllis garden for yourself as years come...