Well for me it's a bit early, the season just now started. Last spring I purchased nearly all of the bulbs I now possess and am curious how well they'll do this time. Of the new bulbs Sydney had 3 scrapes, that was the maximum.

So far it has to be a tie between EXOTIC STAR w/4 scapes and FAIRY TALE with 3 (but a higher # of blooms). Although RILONA has shown me 11 blooms on2 stems. Not but maybe 1/3 of the way through all the varieties I have so we shall see. . . .

My stars this season were Jewel, which was fragrant and lovely! I adored Jewel's partial double petals, it's very different white coloration, the red coloration at its eye, and especially the fact that it was a gift!

The second star was Pasadena! What a beauty! I can't say enough about the beautiful blood red and white combination, the fullness of the double petals, and the tiny dots of red that made up part of its color pattern!

Sweet Lilian is giving me a third scape... it's just beginning to peek out of the bulb! I'm very excited about that! More flowers!

Well, it's early but Exotic Star has put out 2 scapes with 4 flowers each with a 3rd one coming...new for me this year and very beautiful.......
{{gwi:376136}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

My poor Limona (or is it Limone?) had a very rough start...she arrived with a lot of rot and had 3 layers pealed off of her and chunks of her basil plate scooped out with a spoon........ {{gwi:376138}}From ROTTEN LIMONA BULB FROM EBAY

and she was all twisted with open gashes in her scapes..... {{gwi:376140}}From ROTTEN LIMONA BULB FROM EBAY

but she gave us her best with 7 flowers on those 2 scapes........ {{gwi:376142}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

{{gwi:376144}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

and now she is putting up a 3rd scape...poor girl, she really didn't have to do this she has more than earned her keep.....
{{gwi:376145}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

I think she's blushing.............. {{gwi:376146}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

And Little Pasadena no bigger than a big lime, put out 2 scapes with 7 fiery blooms................. {{gwi:376147}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010
{{gwi:376148}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

a couple of her flowers had all their reproductive parts and one stigma actually opened a bit but I don't think it is working, I tried to self her.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Donna

Donna, your pictures are very instructive for this newbie and just beautiful. Did you not return Limone to the vendor because you have enough experience and you enjoy the challenge of overcoming the problems? I am asking because I am amazed at what you did with that bulb. It is gorgeous.
Pat

Pat, Limone was bought on Ebay (as Lemon/Lime) it came from a vendor selling for McClure and Zimmerman and it took 8 days to reach me. Two other bulbs in the order were fine. I contacted the vendor and got no response, I didn't have the heart to pack the poor thing up and send it back to do so would have been a death sentence. I never heard from the vendor but I had already done my best to clean her up. We were amazed at the tenacity of this bulb! She turned out to be Limone and she put on quite a show and I still have another scape coming! Amazing!! I really only did what anyone else would have done...I can thank the people on this forum for the information that led to this rescue otherwise I probably would have tossed her in the trash from ignorance. Before all the old threads disappeared I read all of them! Packed full of useful information for the newbie like me. Limone appears to have rooted also, I tug and it feels firm! I actually had to spoon out small chunks of basil plate, dusted with Captan (thanks to this forum) let dry and she did the rest!! Glad you enjoyed the photos, at first the flowers were pale yellow and they got deeper as time went by.... she remains our special baby!

Donna

Hands down for me....thus far is Gervase but in color and quantity of blooms. Gervase is a rock star!

Ryan

Still to come, 'Faro,' 'Dancing Queen,' repeat performance by the Rozetta twins and all the bulbs I still have stashed in the fridge!

I'm not sure I have one 'star' this season. I've got reasons to love a bunch...

Moonlight for its stately grace:
{{gwi:376149}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

Rilona for its imposing height:
{{gwi:376150}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

Exotica for its yummy colors:
{{gwi:376151}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

Gervase for its artistic beauty (thanks Ryan!):
{{gwi:376152}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

Neon Pink for its show:
{{gwi:376154}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

and Rozetta and Ragtime for an "in your face" big bunch of blooms:
{{gwi:376155}}From 09 / 10 hippi season
{{gwi:376156}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

Alana

Wow!! All beautiful!!Exotica and Gervase breathtaking! Rilona and Moonlight so tall and graceful, and Ragtime and Rozetta beautiful doubles!! Neon is a winner too! Gorgeous! Isn't this fun?? Moonlight looks a lot like my Lemon Star, does she have diamond dusting? I think I have an Exotica coming, I bought one anyway, I really really like that one!
Donna

Alana...do you have other photos of your Rilona? I just inquired about a beautiful peach colored bloom on the Royal Colors New Year's greeting (email), and was told it was Rilona. Now I'm confused.

Someone help me....I didn't think it was that red! I am steering away from reds this season...trying to expand in the pinks, peaches, and patterned blooms.
K

Here is a link that might be useful: Rilona on Emaryllis

Hi Kristi, forgot to say I loved your annotated Sweet Lillian pic, and I'm amazed your sweet gum had leaves a couple of weeks ago! That's a great picture of it - incredible color. Anyway, yes I have more pics - I'll post a few, but use the link to my album for more. I bought a jumbo Rilona bulb from Blooming Bulb and was surprised at how dark the bloom was. I got a cheapie from Walmart when they had their potted blooms half-price and though they called it Orange Sovereign, Lizalily ID-ed (and I agree) as Rilona. The blend of shades in it was amazing, including a touch of gold. Both are pictured below.

My jumbo Rilona from Blooming Bulb up close and personal:
{{gwi:376157}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

and
{{gwi:376158}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

The stunner from Walmart:
{{gwi:376159}}From 09 / 10 hippi season

and outside under natural light:
{{gwi:376160}}From garden web 2

Ya know, here's a thought: I wonder if my Rilona is really Orange Sovereign (or something else) and my OS is really Rilona?
Alana

Hope you don't mind if I jump in but my Orange Sovereign look like your Rilona Alana, but I thought it might be Naranja which is amother medium orange. I think they look similar don't you think? That walmart one is a stunner!

my Orange Sovereign (I think)................... {{gwi:376161}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

and in the sun............... {{gwi:376162}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

I too always thought Rilona was more peachy but not as peachy as Desire.

Donna

I can't stand looking any more!

Why not?

Donna, you're right - they do look similar! I might have a mislabel I fear. Is your OS really tall? (and you're welcome to jump in anytime!!)
Alana

Alana, No, not as tall as yours, but the flowers look exactly the same color, but, I'm not 100% sure that I don't have Naranja which is similar. Does anyone else out there have a picture of Naranja or Rilona or Orange Sovereign? I took a look at your album and your pictures sure seem the same to me. Kristi, what do you think? I bought mine as OS but we all know that doesn't mean much!

Donna

(I'm going to bed will see what you all think tomorrow...... good night! I'll be dreaming of orange flowers!!)

They are all beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

All of my kids are stars, but my 'Exotic Star' is my rock star. I am trying to get good photos to share this week.

Keep the photos coming ya'll!

-Frank

Beautiful photos, folks! A great catalog of choices! I have no space, and a HUGE wish list! Ack! :-)

Donna, here are some pictures of my 'Orange Sovereign' from last year:

{{gwi:376130}} {{gwi:376131}} {{gwi:376132}} {{gwi:376133}}

Rilona is a lovely pale peach, not blaring orange. IT is peachy when it opens and gets paler as time goes by. Mine just opened and I am entranced once again by the perfection of its delicate coloring. And yes, it is quite tall. WIll try to take a photo for you later.

Thanks Carl, for the pictures. I think what I bought as Rilona is actually OS. I'm writing Blooming Bulb to let them know.
Alana

Carl, Picture # 1 looks like Alana's and mine...don't you think?.....in # 4 are you alluding to a green stripe on the back of the petal like these?
{{gwi:376163}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010
{{gwi:376164}}From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010

I will admit that both yours and Alana's look to be about 6" taller than mine but that could be to amount of light, both of my Orange Sovereigns are in big windows that get a lot of light/sun. I think they match your first picture very well....what do you think? Thanks a lot for helping!!
Alana, what do you think?

Lizalily I'm sure you're right, Rilona should be much softer and peachier looking forward to your photos. Thanks,

Donna

Alana, I think the one labeled OS is really Rilona too. I just recall the RC photo of the soft peach, peach anthers too. I got a couple of OS as boxed bulbs this year...with the characteristic wht/green stripe on the back.
Kristi

Kristi, thanks - yes, I agree. The OS one from Walmart is really Rilona, and the Rilona one from Blooming Bulb is really OS. Funny. I'll have to check for the stripe on the one from Blooming Bulb when I get home. That will tell me for sure if it's OS I guess. I'll have to add these two to the mislabels thread.
Alana

Donna, I can't stand looking any more because the beautiful pictures and blooms are blowing me away. Also, I looked at your Toby pictures on your gallery and was blown away again. He has the exact same colors of a cat I am eyeing at our Humane Society and those pictures may have pointed my car in the right direction tomorrow morning! I'm in trouble every time I get on this Forum and I only have 8 hippes to date and so far zero cats.
Pat

Since all mine are outside this year, my season won't start until late March or early April. That's all right, it will give me more time to get a handle on this ----- digital camera! To think I used to snicker at my father as he wrestled with the VCR--what goes around comes around, I guess!

I have my eye on my largest bulb ('Apple Blossom", of course), which also has some offsets approaching bloom size.

Wish me luck!
Kevin : )

@Donna: I didn't recall that this green stripe would be such a prominent feature of OS. Look at picture 4 and compare it to 3 and 2, there this stripe is already fading. Lots of blooms develop their colours still while opening.
What I did in pic 4 was to show the pattern in which the single petals are overlapping each other. I wondred whether there wouldn't be a pattern? Take a look in my album: http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa118/betonklotz/Hippeastrum/?start=40

The scrapes must have been around 70cm tall, I just meastured my windows ... I'm still not sure how the size of the scrape is determined apart from genetics.
When the OS is blooming again (just moved again into the warm) I'll make some more photos. Other than that I can't tell you anything, I never cared that much for the monocoloured ones so I didn't take a closer look at Rilona and co.

@Pat: Aren't you happy with your 8 Hippies? I've just realized I only have 9 different ones + 1 without name (a selfed one of a friend's that hasn't bloomed) + lots of seedlings. The OS is actually the one that's most boring in my collection (don't let her hear this! ;) ). I'm quite happy now ... if I had to decide now with 3 ones I'd still try to get my hands on, the decission wouldn't be easy, but I have my list!

Carl, the green stripe mostly disappear as the flower color matures it is only most evident in the bud, I'll look forward to looking at your album later....thanks!!We may never be able to positivly ID some of these oranges!

Pat we just adore Toby!!! He was a stray is about 6-8 years old and we have both become his servants!! My father also has a stray cat that is just wonderful, and my Aunt has taken several cats from the Humane Society and all of these cats have been the nicest cats ever!! These cats that have been abandoned just make the best pets....they seem to know that they have found love and they really give it back!! We have to keep him as an indoor cat since we have coyotes in our area and we were worried that he wouldn't know how to use a cat box but he does and has never! make a mistake! Toby is a lap cat in my lap constantly and he weights about 17 lbs, a really big boy! In the future we will always look to give a middle aged cat a better life....they deserve it! I hope your car makes it to the Humane Society!! Keep us posted! And I'm glad you're enjoying all the pictures that everybody posts!

Donna

For those of you who haven't met 'Toby' the love of our senior years, here he is....................... {{gwi:376165}}From TOBY
{{gwi:376166}}From TOBY

He loves to have his picture taken!!

Kevin, Once you get the hang of digital photography you will never,never do it any other way! It is so great you can take dozens of pictures of the same flower and only choose the ones you like! All of this on the forum is possible because of digital cameras! Good luck and if you have any questions there are dozens of people here who can give you advice!
Most people here use PhotoBucket to load their pictures I had already been using Picasa and I FINALLY learned how to post pictures, it was really very easy I just kept making one simple mistake and look at me now, I've become a pest with all my pictures I'm sure!
Donna

What a handsome guy! Great pictures, Donna!

I work at a Humane Society shelter, and in the cattery. I would say that to get an adult cat rather than a kitten is a good idea, as you can tell more about their personalities before you choose. Then you can get as playful, serene, or whatever is your idea of a perfect cat. Good for you Donna, and good for Toby! Oh, and lovely flowers, everyone! My alleged "white" is about to open! We'll see what I get!