So sorry for your bad luck...but don't give up!! Actually I had to "untangle" my friend's Elvas bud before it did the same thing, and her Black Pearl looked like it was doing the same thing. She was keeping her house pretty warm and dry. Here in Spring, TX, the house is coolish (heater kicks on at 65) but humidity is up. I think our plants are confused this year.

Honestly...and I could be so wrong...I think the "pink problem" is all coincidental, because if you had 10 pink bulbs, most of them would be fine, and a couple would be stinkers! This year, the only one so far that aborted for me was Elvas, and I wasn't home, so maybe with assistance it would have been fine.

Keep trying.

BTW....Here's my Aphrodite from last year...so fingers crossed for yours!
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Kristi

I'm so sorry to hear about your misfortunes with pinks... I'll let the experts here field this one. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. I'd say stress, but Bolero shouldn't be THAT stressed from its journey.

I had the same thing happen to the first scape on my Evergreen, but I know that was due to stress... it happened to other bulbs shipped from the same company.

I also notice some discoloration on the leaf, and I'm wondering what that signals? I hope we can find some answers... anyone?

I would suggest you try ordering your bulbs from one of the places that most of us get good ones from. IT may be that you are buying them in stores where they get dried out before you get them? Since Royal Colors is out of reach right now, I highly recommend Easytogrowbulbs.com and John Scheepers or Van Engelen

I have had only pink's blooming so far and they have been lovely. My San Remo's are utterly gorgeous, last year I loved Pink Surprise. Nearly everything I ordered from ABC turned out to be Aphrodite, but beautiful aphrodites!, Pink Star is a little beauty, especially a couple of days after opening when the initial coral pink looses its orange tones. I have never had a pink turn out badly, though I do not much care for the ones with orangey pink like Amourette or the three I received from McCLure Zimmerman instead of Angelique. (I must say that they lasted over a month though!)

GOod luck and keep trying!

The only pinks I've had any problems with were the bit of rot I dissected off of Amalfi, and the rot problems with my Apple Blossoms, both bulbs. Totally different problem, though.

They did all bloom nicely, though. And now that I've taken care of my medium problem, I expect them all to do very well.

Don't give up! Never give up! lol Seriously, I think all of the mishaps were sheer coincidences. Just keep them growing all summer and see if you can force them for next winter. Perhaps you will have better luck next year. The Pink Diamonds from Wal-Mart were great! Mine didn't turn out to be true to name but it was straight up hot pink. You should give it a go! If mine produces any offsets this summer perhaps we can work out a trade :-) I love trading :-)

Look out... she's gonna try to unload one of her kids on you in a trade! LOL! Just teasing... I know you'd only give them up long enough to have a bit of peace and quiet! :-)

Don't give up on getting a pink bloom, ladychroe! I can't say for sure what happened to make that bloom bud abort, but the leaf behind it looks to be dried out. I have several that have bloomed and produced seeds and never even put out a root, so that baffles me. But don't loose faith! If you have a Wal-Mart in your area, check to see if they have any Pink Diamonds or Romances left...that could be an avenue for this year possibly.

Enjoy the blooms from Aphrodite and do post photos! I am craving that one now too. Yours is gorgeous Kristi!

Oh Larissa if that solid hot pink one does set seed I would LOVE to have some!!! An offset would be even better...tehee! That thing was AMAZING! I haven't seen any variety offered that looked anything like it.

LOL at Jodi! Too funny!

-Frank

Frank, you'd love Aphrodite! I had one bloom last year, and it was spectacular! Very soft, frilly and romantic... I loved it!

Hello LadyChroe and welcome to the forum. ^^

I really would like to encourage you to not give up on your attempts for a pink hippeastrum; I too, am a sucker for pinks (almost to the point that I try to buy mine in any color other than pink) but yet, I always somehow, manage to fit yet another pink, here and there.

I don't know if you are familiar with John Scheepers, but they have marvelous pinks and shipping to your area should be very reasonable. If you are open to recommendations, I would recommend 'Candy Floss', 'Amalfi', and if you can find it elsewhere, 'Blushing Bride', 'Estrella', 'Neon Rose', or even the common 'Apple Blossom'.

If if makes you feel better, my 'Amalfi' blasted three scapes this season and I wasn't able to see any flowers from it last year. I'm praying that it will give good growth this coming season and make up for the loss time and flowers.

Here is a picture of my 'Neon Rose' to give you hope for a pink in the future (click for a larger view). :)

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Please, never give up. The sky is the limit.^^

Gorgeous photo, Pax!

The beauty of these bulbs is their ability to recover, and with a little care, bloom again the following cycle! They're actually quite tough and resilient, and though some stress the trip they've made from grower to wholesaler, to retail outlet, and then to us... they can recover in less than a year, and with the right care, be ready to bloom again!

The only two things they cannot tolerate are freezing temperatures and conditions that are too wet. Other than that, they're the perfect houseplant or the perfect garden plant! They tolerate neglect better than babying, and they can be grown as houseplants, allowed to bloom on their schedule... or, they can be grown and forced into dormancy for Christmas blooms.

They're fun to pollinate and grow from seed, and they make lovely cut flowers, too! Ah, the versatile Hippeastrum! I would urge anyone not to give up on these lovelies... the array of different pinks are such that you could choose another variety to try, even though you may not want to try the same ones you just had trouble with. There are plenty just waiting to be acquired and grown!

As an FYI, I find that sometimes it's hard to get one to grow correctly in the beginning, but they usually do better for me in subsequent years after they've had a chance too re-establish themselves and grow a pot full of good roots during the summer growing spurt. Don't give up, please. I've had good luck purchasing from many of the on-line sites. Here's my San Remo on it's second scape last year.
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Kitty

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement. I'll be sure to try again. I love the deep, rich color on your Neon Rose, Pax, and the San Remo and Aphrodite pics were very pretty, too. I'll be sure to post my Aphrodite pics when it blooms. Can't wait!

Just wanted to add, I feel the same way, have tryed several
times to get a true Pink Diamond, to no avail,
have orded from A.M. twice, wrong one,
What is one to do. here I keep mine in the ground,
and they do fine !
So If anyone manages to locate a P.D. please let Me know,
thank's,
Olga from near Dallas Tx

my best new Pink this year was Rosalie. 6 inch slightly translucent very even medium/light pink from petal tip to inside base; no green in the throat, but a tiny bit in the base of the throat. When the breeder saw it I think he probably choked(I did). I got Rosalie a few years ago and it was the wrong bulb. I am so glad I got it again.

The huge pinks mentioned above are wonderful 9 inch Pink Diamond, Exposure, Exception and Best Seller, But the beauty of Rosalie will stand right up to them.

I would like to give you a checklist for planting new commercial bulbs in pots.

Peel the brown layer down to na white or green layer.
Immerse the bulb in warm water for 2 hours.
Plant only the roots in 25 to 50 % sand and the rest good quality potting soil with no nitrates above #8=The bulb rests on top of the soil. Roots on commercial bulbs are often short so expect to use a stake when it sprouts as the flowers are heavy.
Water- soak your planted bulb for 30 minutes and then water once every 3 weeks. I use an inch or so of dry oak leaves in the bottom of a 10 inch or larger pot instead of rocks for drainage.
Fertilize with a teaspoon of low nitrate slow release fertilizer right after blooms finish. 4 grains of epsom salts when you see a flower stalk start up. In August you can give 2 whooshes of a foliar spray.

The number one problem in indoor pots is overwatering. #2 for new bulbs is a dusty looking gray fungus just under the brown jacket layers that grows during storage and shipping. If you are doing anything different from my list, it doesn't mean it is wrong. This is a good general technique that has worked well for amaryllis in pots for many people in different parts of the country and works well for several years with a variety of forcing techniques. My forcing and timing techniques are different from what you will find in Horticulture books being more versatile and more accurate, but not necessarily better. This sounds strange.

OK In large bulb large flower type amaryllis I can time a healthy bulb after its first year to bloom on most fall or winter holidays like Thaqnksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines day or Easter.
Bill