The only thing I can attribute this to is too much water. I will admit that I top watered this as it was doing so well. I've had this bulb for more than a year and it rooted well and had a few lovely leaves. I have a pot full of reticulatum var striatifolium and they are doing great (if I dare say it). This winter I have been bottom watering only but in the more warm and humid summer I had been top watering. Oh well, we do the best we can and sometimes we loose... Donna Here she was in her full glory and I will attempt to bring her back but she looks pretty dismal right about now.

I think a lot of people become interested in growing species because they began with hybrids, which sparked the interest to know and gain more! At least, that's how I became interested in the species! I think hybrids definitely have their place, and I do love the different sizes, colors and shapes available, and the ease with which they are brought to bloom and seed. Growing the different hybrids successfully has certainly given me the incentive, and the basic knowledge, to try growing some of the more readily available species. And yes, thank you, Dan... for playing a part in making species more available to the novice grower, like me! Now that I have several years under my belt of growing a couple of hybrids, and have recently expanded my collection to include many, I am looking more closely at the species for their simple beauty. While the manmade hybrids are beautiful in their own right, some perhaps a bit garish, there's nothing that quite compares to Nature's creations... I, also, recently acquired a couple of Pardonii Germa bulbs, and am happy to report that one is pushing up two scapes! I am extremely excited to see it in bloom! I am also thrilled with my new Papilio Butterfly, which has three blooms on its scape! Yes, three! I have a younger bulb of Papilio, but just couldn't wait to see the blooms in person, so I bought a mature bulb from RC. I'm very pleased with it's performance and beauty! Thank you, Lora, for the culture tips on the Germa! I'm happy to know I'm treating them properly, bottom watering and keeping them a bit more on the dry side. I also have them on a heat mat, which they seem to like, as evidenced by the growth of scapes! I concur that most plants aren't difficult to grow as long as the necessary research is done to find proper cultural information, and that culture is followed, emulating a plants natural habitat to the best of ones ability. Most plants can adapt a bit, I've found. You have a lovely greenhouse, by the way... I admit to being envious! We should have ours up and operational by this summer, and I am so looking forward to filling the space, however small it may be in comparison to yours! We have the HF 12'x10' awaiting construction. At some point, I'd like to acquire bulbs of H. striatum and a few others... and I can already see that a time will come where I will pare down my hybrid collection to only include those that I feel are spectacular and have a place in the breeding program I am working on.

That is unfortunate news in my ears, and I regret that you did not obtain blooms in this long time span. On the other hand I am confident that I shall receive blooms in fall 2007 - provided the plants will now continue for a prolonged time in the magnitude of growth velocity which I actually observe. You certainly know that I administer lukewarm water - but from the bottom, including diluted fertilizer every time ( 1 ml/L of a liquid 6-3-6 brand). I definitely intend to use "Silhouette" for breeding purposes (if you have not guessed this already, too) - and I want to see the seedlings with their center stripe in my balkony box which I use as hippeastrummateous kindergardens, in the wisdom of numerousity - and regardless whether the ligament be creamy or pure white. And certainly you can also guess what knight star lily I have in mind to rendezvous this tiny "Silhouette" with. For now I wrap myself into silence (forgive my likely inappropriate terminology) - nevertheless these respective amaryllis' are overreadily waiting for their time to come, in rather huge containers

Here is some info (in Dutch) on Siloutte; some of it was left blank by the registring body. K 'Silhouette' registrant: Van der Valk B.V. 12/06/2007 Genus Hippeastrum Author G Herb. Prefix G Family Amaryllidaceae Author F Juss. Author SVF Prefix SVF Cultivar 'Silhouette' Cultivar Group Diamond Group Synonyms Trade Name Common Name Named After Species with subspecies etc. Description Beschrijving Samenvatting kleur: blauwrose 73A met wit 155D. 4 bloemen. Binnenzijde: paars 58A tot blauwrose 73A generfd op witte ondergrond. Helmdraden wit 155D met rose gloed. Stijl wit 155D met rose gloed. Bloemsteeltje bij bloei lengte kort tot medium, groen met anthocyane gloed. Steel lengte kort, groen met anthocyaan aan basis. Blad breedte smal tot medium, groen met witte hoofdnerf en anthocyaan (waarschijnlijk aan de basis). Vooraanzicht bloem driehoekig. (Bablefish rough translation: Description summary colour: blauwrose 73A with blank 155D. 4 flowers. Inside: purple 58A gene-inherited to blauwrose 73A on white subsoil. helmet wires blank 155D with rose glow. Style blank 155D with rose glow. Bloemsteeltje at flowering length briefly to medium, green with anthocyane glow. Stalk length briefly, green with anthocyaan to basis. Booklet breadth smal to medium, green with white head grain and anthocyaan (probably to the basis). Vooraanzicht flower triangular. ) Flower Primary Colour Flower Secondary Colour RHS 073A RHS 155D UPOV blue-pink UPOV white NDS1 blauwrose NDS1 wit NDS2 donkerrose NDS2 wit NDS3 rose NDS3 wit Variegation of Colour Flower generfd Primary Colour of Leaf Secondary Colour of Leaf Variegation of Colour Leaf Type of Inflorescence Number of flowers per inflorescence Flowering Time Relative Flowering Time Flowering Months Type of Flowers Fragrance of Flower Diameter of Flower 150 mm Height of Plant cm Underground Parts Chromosomes 2n = Propagation Clone / Population Sport of Sports Geography Introducer Name Date / Period Introduction City Country Registrant Name Van der Valk B.V. Date Registration / Reservation 12/06/2007 City Naaldwijk Country Raiser Name City Country Awards EDI Bulb Code 78535 Period Hybridisation Throckmorton Code NAGC Code