I too am disappointed in Razzmatazz.My bulb came from WWF, already potted and in bud.The first stalk is just 8 inches tall. 5 buds, 3 of which are opened.Looks rather silly,like a lollypop, nothing graceful about it at all.Hopefully the second stalk will be taller.The texture of the petals is not good;flacid and weak, lacking the crispness found in so many other varieties.Perhaps all it's short-comings(no pun intended)are due to growing conditions and not inherent weaknesses.Or maybe my expectations are too high.

sounds very similar to a few lady janes that i purchased late season in april from smith and hawkens. the stalk was only half a foot and the blooms underperformed but I did see potential. since then, they've turned into some of my strongest vegetative growers in the garden and regained in size so I expect a lot out of them this coming bloom season.

I have lots of double bloomed hippeastrum. A few of them have demonstrated the problem that you describe (only the first year)--- distorted, off color and short, sometimes 2-3 inch bloom stalks. It is the exception, rather than the rule, but it has happened. The second year, they are more normal, and indeed, if there is a second or third scape, they are more normal.

Your bloom reminds me of Promise which is a HUGE bloom. The petals of Promise are more rounded and recurved, but the coloration and markings of yours remind me of Promise which, BTW, is more beautiful in person than in a photo.

Wowee!

That is a promise worth keeping!

R.

I know there are a lot of factors that could be affecting the small flowers and short scapes of a newly planted bulb, one not having enough roots and two being in storage for so long. Razzmatazz's first flower showed signs of wilting on the second day too. Hope it performs better next growing season.
Elizabeth...Promise is in my next purchase list which will be in spring. I've had enough of these bulbs on sale (clearance), they are not good bargains for me.

That Razzmatazz pretty much looks like Rock and Roll to me. I still like it. I ordered the same package but have not planted the bulb yet. I guess, I will report when it is in bloom. Hopefully I will have some positive news for you and some nice pictures.

Oh!

I can't wait to see Rock and Roll!

Doubles are an old time favorite, but those that I have came from local stores like Walmart. I miss seeing these varieties there. All I see now are the standards.

I'm glad that I started collecting when they were being offered!

Cheers! And please keep posting those pics!

Maria,

It sounds to me like you are going through a learning curve, just like I am, and you are learning extremely FAST, I must say.

Please don't get discouraged. Keep trying and learning. You will find that these bulbs are very forgiving and bounce back even when you do not expect them to do so. I had 5-6' diameter trees fall down and crush many, many pots of amaryllis during the last two hurricane seasons. I watched in amazement as they started to show signs of rot, I doctored, they recovered and started producing more offsets than ever.

Hippeastrum seem to have a will to survive. You can crush them, break them, cut them, and they try very hard to reproduce. That's why I have learned that buying discounted, aged bulbs is quite okay.

BTW, I would highly recommend "Elvas" for it's beauty, but it is not as easy to grow as the others. Remind me to post a picture...

Cheers and Hang in There!

Elizabeth...thanks for the advice. Oh believe me, I'll be hanging in here for good. After being in this Amaryllis craze for almost 2 1/2 years now, I have aquired almost 50 varieties...and wanting more...lol! By the way, Lora, a dearly missed friend and forum member here has posted a pic of it in one of the earlier posts. I think it was titled like "Assessment of South African Hybrids"? It is beautiful!!!