What becomes of last years bulbs? ROTFLMAO!

Well, last year I added about 80 bulbs, making a total of about 100. I sent my youngest son off to Taiwan to study Mandarin Chinese in Feb, and moved all the bloomed out bulbs into his room under lights and in front of a window.

THis was so I could get my crates of tulips in the grow room under the lights there in time to have blooms to sell at Valentines Day.

THis year my son will be home. Currently the tulips are on the floor in the grow roo but need badly to get under the lights! I think this week the library table in the living room will be covered with a plastic sheet and the bloomed out bulbs will start collecting there under the day light lamps I bought last year. Heck, maybe I will have DH install shop lights in the living room as this room will not get direct sunlight until early summer!

THis year I have added about 35 new bulbs and ony lost maybe 5. By next yr DH has promised me a greenhouse for my business...this will free up some of the room in my small garage corner growing room with the banks of shop lights.

During the summer they will go in a 30' by 3' cement block raised bed outside covered with insect proof garden fabric to prevent narcissus flies from getting to them. YEs, I will transplant the bulbs directly into the soil and nurture them outside, then dig in Sept and put to rest for a couple of months.

Cheap hobby? NO way! Cheap Obsession? Yes!

Here are Valentines bouguet's ready to put out at my stand next year.

I have grown amayllis since 1992, but only in the last year became a collector. So...I have bought many new bulbs and currently have near 70. Once I get my collection established, I think that I will be mostly satisfied seeing the blooms from the 2-3 year old crosses that I made. There may be a few new bulbs that I just must have, but I will try to control myself. This year I have made over 40 crosses, and more than half look like they will make it. I am only planting 12 seeds from each cross, but that will quickly increase the number of bulbs I have. I am adding a greenhouse to the backyard to grow out the seedlings.
Kristi
Spring, TX

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Having been infected with CHAD for many years (over 60 years), I can attest to several principles that I believe apply to most of us obsessive gardeners: What is desirable is what you don't have. Once you have a lot, or too many, things tend to become less valuable and, occasionally, one may lose interest altogether once a plant is no longer a "challenge." In fact,they may become a burden and one may become disenchanted with a certain plant or type of gardening.

I have even seen avid gardeners give up gardening,which seems nearly inconceivable to me. But I think one can expect most people to gradually shift their interest to a different plant or a different phase of the same plant, for example going from buying plants to specializing in a certain group that is challenging, or going on to hybridizing, or going into business, or developing ones own special line of a plant, or trying to develop something different.

I wonder if the enthusiasm of CHAD isn't at least a part of our competitive spirit and once we have "conquered" an area, we tend to move onto the next challenge. Staying in CHAD for one thing for a long time would be like staying "in love" forever--not likely. Sentiments only last so long. But being "in love" is so much fun while it lasts.

I hope I am wrong on this, for I am in full agreement with all who tend to be obsessed with the hippis.

My obsession began quite accidentally... I only bought the bulb because the box said "Minerva", which was the name of my personal dog. I was already a gardener, both indoor and out, and had a houseful of various plants and gardens filled with all kinds of perennials and small shrubs.

I was satisfied with that one bulb for quite a few years, and it bloomed faithfully every February. Then I bought an Apple Blossom because Minerva was so beautiful... I wanted to add to that beauty. I came here to ask about proper culture, and the rest is history!

Last year was the first year of serious collecting, and I amassed over 60 or 70 Hippeastrums and other various Amaryllids. This season has been different, and I've only had a small budget for bulbs. I think I bought 3 or 4, and was gifted with a couple by very generous friends!

Though I love all gardening, bulbs are a unique passion. I'd like to try my hand at interbreeding some of the different types. Last year, I learned about pollination and ploidy, and came away with a nice variety of seed crosses. This year won't be a stellar seed year, but I am building up my collection, and getting lights and space figured out.

I think Haitidoc is wrong about staying in love... after 15 years together, I'm more in love with my husband than ever! I think the love changes and deepens, becomes more comfortable, evolves, but I can honestly say that I love, and am still IN LOVE, with the same person I married.

While love for a particular plant species is a bit different, I think as we go through life gardening, we choose certain plants that speak to us in a certain way, and we concentrate our efforts more on growing and collecting that one type. We still remain general gardeners, growing and nurturing many types of plants, but one type in particular becomes our favorite.

At least, that's how it is for me... after growing indoors and out, many types of gardens and plants, the one thing that speaks to me are members of the Amaryllid Family. That's where I concentrate most of my effort. And yes, I buy a few new bulbs each year to add to the collection, while still getting a lot of satisfaction from the bulbs I already have.

It will be at least another year before my first seedlings bloom, and that will show me which way to go from there. Gardening is something I will only give up when it becomes physically impossible for me to grow a plant... and even then, my hope is that one of my daughters will want to help me, and carry the torch into the future for herself, as well.

Gardening and love both evolve over time, and with experience and knowledge, become sweeter to those who garden, and to those who love...

Java, have you taken any pictures of the seeds that you grew that finally bloomed? I for one would love to see them.

I think part of the fun of CHAD with hippies is the challenge. To grow a unique flower of your own or to get that same bulb you had last year to fatten up and perform better. I also think sort of like haitidoc in that once one meets the challenge one goes looking for new ones. For me this wouldn't mean I'd give up on this type of plant, but I'd probably streamline my passion to a managable level. I would have my hippie-skills honed to a fine science and would probably start causing problems with a new challenge. I don't see it as a bad thing when one sees hippies as expendable. For me, this is freeing, when fearless, one can experiment and create with much more abandon.

Maybe the "love" becomes mature- maybe one finds a strong love for just certain hippies, instead of desiring to possess each new hot sexy bulb on the market.

Java, don't you think it would be hard to just buy the bulbs and throw them away each year knowing what you know now? My latest plan is to give some of them away, with all your seedlings you have a richness of hippies which you could perhaps share with others.

Here are some pictures taken last year.

The seeds were started in 2001.

This one first bloomed in 2005, then again in 2006 and 2008.

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This one first bloomed in 2006 and again in 2008. I guess conditions just were not right in 2007.

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Here is a picture of the Mother Picotee and Red Lion. The seeds must be from only one plant since it was in my office and no others were near. Unfortunately, this bulb perished in 2007.

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Last is a sister Picotee. It was given to me at the same time as the mother Picotee. I think of it as the aunt. It is still blooming, or was last year.
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Several people have suggested that I share my seedlings. My problem with that is that since only two have bloomed, it seems like I would be sharing a big gamble.

People here might have better success than I have because they have either better conditions or are more knowledgeable. But then, how do you send a seedling? I have lots of Minerva 2006 seedlings. Hopefully, they will survive the winter. I seem to lose some each year.

Those are lovely Picotees!

Growing these bulbs from seed does take a little finesse, but that's why each seed pod contains so many seeds... even in nature, not every one will make it to maturity.

I plant about a dozen or more of each type, and that way, I'm assured that losing a few over winter won't be a big deal. I've lost some from last spring's plantings, but I still have several of each, growing well.

Shipping the young seedlings is a matter of figuring out how to pack them so they're fairly immobile within the box. I've received some seedlings that were packed very well, either within little covered paper cups with moss or shredded paper taped to the top of the soil... or wrapped in moist paper towels, inside plastic wrap, and then in paper towel cardboard tubes with the ends taped.

There must be a dozen or more ways to carefully ship bulbs and seedlings. I just use my imagination and whatever is available to me at the time. I also save packing from incoming plants, and take note of how they arrived. The one thing I never go cheap on is shipping method... I always use USPS Priority Mail with a Delivery Confirmation.

Not by need, want, plan or design but yes, I get new ones each year because I run into them at sale/deep discount (such as the Pink Diamonds I bought at $2.50 each on Tuesday) and I just can't resist. All of my bulbs - this year's and prior's - are planted in the yard. Fortunately, I live in Florida for which amaryllis are perfectly-suited. They stay in the ground year-round and do so well. I will probably die before I run out of space. :)

You're incredibly lucky to be able to plant them directly in the gardens... and leave them there! I could plant them out, but they'd require digging every fall... I think it's probably easier, and safer, for me to just keep them all in pots, and move them in or out, or just keep them in as I have been doing.

I really wish the stores around here would carry a decent variety and amount of bulbs... Walmart never did the clearance thing, that I'm aware of... they discounted a couple of dollars, and then just got rid of the leftovers. By the way the stores in my area buy and sell Hippeastrum bulbs, you'd think no one in this area grows them! It's the same for other tender bulbs and plants. Some of us like indoor growing!

$2.50 is a steal... great grab you made!

Carol,

I don't live in Florida, but my climate (temperature) is similar to yours. The only problem is that I get more rainfall, especially in the winter months.

Indeed, I have an acre, but ocassionally portions of that acre floods, so I have to be careful where I plant them.

I think we get about 2" per month more rain than you do in Dec. thru Feb. Still, Hippeastrum are much hardier than most think. Even in pots, they withstand hard freezes, but a combination of wet followed by a cold front can cause problems.

Amazing bulbs!!!

Ann

Ugh. I would love to be in a warmer zone. Northern Kansas is killing me! lol I agree fully with Ann. Hippeastrum are quite hardy. The only time I've ever lost any wasn't because of Mother Nature. I lost them when I "loved" them to death. lol

I've learned to be watchful, but to stop hovering over them! Statistically, more plants are killed by improper watering than any other cause... getting the proper watering down pat on certain plants and bulbs is a little tricky, but it can be done!

I take into account my environment, and then fill it with plants that I like which can thrive in my conditions. Bulbs seem to do very well, and I've developed quite a fondness for some!

To me, there's no such thing as a green thumb... it's nothing more than applied knowledge!