When are you looking for them? Aucubas bloom very early in the season, the flowers are dark and tiny and are easily overlooked and those plants in very heavy shade may not produce many flowers either......unless you are out there sometime later this month inspecting closely, you could easily miss them entirely. They are dioecious, with males and females being separate plants. Many of the more popular gold variegated forms are male clones, so no berries :-) While some cultivars are sold more for their berries ('Rozannie'), this should more realistically be considered primarily a foliage plant.

Yes I mean Joseph's Coat and Jacob's Robe sorry. I have 2 Joseph's Coat and one Jacob's Robe. Out of the two Joseph's only one is blooming and its maybe 1-1/2 to 2 feet away from the one that's not performing. The Jacob's Robe is 10 feet away on the same side of the flower bed as the other two. They were all planted 2 years ago only a few weeks apart from each other. I know the non-performing Joseph's coat was the first and then I purchased the second a few weeks after and much later the Jacob's Robe which was quite well established when it arrived, blooming even. The weather here in NY has been warm in the day with cool evenings, I live by the ocean so its a little cooler than other parts of Queens, maybe temps between 50's and 60's. The three were purchased from different nurseries if that means anything but they all have excellent reputations (Josephs coat from Brushwood, the blooming one and Jacobs Robe from Stargazer Perennial). At first I wanted to blame it on age since roses from Stargazer tend to be more well established and sent in one gallon pots compared to Brushwood but this cannot be the issue since the Jacob's Robe is also having the same issue. The buds are so small on these two compared to the other that I am now wondering if they aren't ill or something. My Winchester Cathedral has one rose blooming and I'm sure the other's will follow suit since they seem more ready than my two reticent climbers. Its so annoying since I have the two Joseph's trained into an arch and now only one half is blooming.

Hi Anna, Well....welcome to our world!! I'd say your amaryllis would have been guarantted to bloom in 5 weeks if it had all the optimal conditions, but sitting in a box at room temp for who knows how long wasn't what it needed!! Most of those box kits show up in the stores in October and at that point they have come from the distributor where they have been chilled and just ready to bloom. If they aren't given warmth, water, and a little love within a window of a couple of months...they may say, "Forget it, I'll wait till next year!!". So obviously, your good efforts at Christmastime just arrived too late. BUT...there is good news!! Put that bulb outside where it can soak up the sun and keep it watered (not soaking) with 1/2 strength Miracle Gro (or a similar water based fertilizer). Those leaves should grow nice and green and STRONG and be able to support themselves! Then...around late August (you are getting a late start!!) stop watering and turn the pot on its side where the rain can't hit the soil. Those nice leaves should yellow up and shrivel. At that point, cut them back to the neck of the bulb and put the bulb in the pot somewhere where the temp will be above freezing for the next 8 weeks. Bring it out...8 weeks later, give it some water and warmth, (and sunlight if possible...although winter dreariness might do) and you may be rewarded with blooms. Since it's had a rough first year, just be patient with it...it might go on its natural cycle and bloom in the spring. As soon as it's warm enough (April/May) put it outside so it can soak up the benefits. You need to build that bulb back up so that it will reward you with blooms! GOOD LUCK...and be patient!! Kristi

Ahhh... could be! I bought them at a flea market flower show and they were only labeled "phlox". (This is my first try at growing phlox so I don't know much about them.) Judging from the looks of them in the containers it appeared as if the seller had dug the plants straight out of the ground and put them into pots. They were just a mass of flowers when I bought them... I'm hopeful that they ARE a spring-flowering variety. (More to look forward to next year!) Thanks for the reply, Carol!