Thanks for your help, everyone. I read an old post that said an amaryllis plant needs to send up at least 8 healthy leaves in order to flower the following year. The fellow I talked with said that he had never heard of such a thing. Do we know whether or not this is true? For example, can an amaryllis with only one, very tall leaf flower the following year? I'm glad I didn't cut off my plant with the shriveled bud! I guess that man thought I wanted only one bloom and then would throw away the plant, instead of understanding I wanted to preserve the bulb for future blooms. He said he'd never heard of nurturing the leaves through the summer for future blooms. I should add that it never actually sent up much of a scape. The shriveled bud is about 3" long, emerged from the top of the bulb, without the stalk/stem of the scape yet showing. The bud has some vertical brown streaks on one side. So it aborted early, before the stalk poked up, even. I wonder whether I could have overfertilized? I read that amaryllis likes soil a bit on the acid side so I diluted some African violet fertilizer 7-7-7 and poured it in the pot the amaryllis is in, after quite a bit of foliage had emerged, trying to be very careful not to get it on the bulb, just in the surrounding soil. These 2 plants with the more lush and longer leaves might have gotten more of the fertilizer-water than my others that have shorter leaves, although I wouldn't think so, but it is possible. Could that explain the brown streak on the bud and its shriveling? The leaves don't have any brown on them. The plant that has only several tall leaves of foliage is standing up by itself tonight. I had propped it against the bookcase, and when I move it, it no longer flops over. The one with the shriveled bud has 2 leaves which stand up on their own tonight, but 2 other leaves still need to be propped up, because they will flop without the support. If I did overfertilize and that caused the bud to shrivel, will that cause the bulb not to bloom next year, do you think? Does the Narcissus fly tend to cause the phenomenon of an amaryllis with only one leaf? I thought I read that somewhere in the forum, but I'm not sure?

Not that I have personal experience with this particular stapelia, but I believe when they are in a growth period, they need more water. Otherwise, you'll experience bud-blast. I also think your Huernia would enjoy more sun/more heat. Are you able to put it outside? Good luck with it!

Its always fun to find an old post which I originated. My Siberian Iris from Joe Pye Weed's Garden have done well in the six years since planting. Some are hardier than others. Once established, they grow fast and produce lots of blooms. Most are tightly packed clumps of about 24". I have divided some and should divide the rest in spring. SI grow much better in full sun. They survive some crowding, but do better when given some space. I have had success with raised beds as well as low wet spots. I only water during drought periods. I have not had any rebloom. Of those listed above, Dance Party gets the rave reviews from visitors to my garden.

Rhizomes should be planted 1-3" deep, but after three years in the ground, they would most likely have adjusted their own planting depth anyway. Sibs perform best with at least 6 hrs of direct sun a day, ample water in spring before bloom, mulch, and a rich, acid soil. Like beardeds, some Sibs take a long time to settle in before they resume their regular bloom cycle. Just this morning I had a bearded iris bloom for the first time since I planted it in 1999! Unless you are growing your Sib in too much shade or in alkaline soil or with some other obvious cultural problem that can only be corrected by moving the plant, don't move it until it blooms. Sibs resent transplantation. Each time you dig and relocate it, you'll set it back and delay bloom again. Laurie