Gardendaze

Okay, I did it. I really wanted to make sure that I got a white amaryllis this year. So when I saw this at my grocery store, I fell for it.

No variety specified, but okay.

This is what I found when I opened the box. Pretty impressive if I were giving this as a gift.

This is what I found when I took off that nice aerated cover. Ugh. The bulb is entirely buried–at least one third should be left exposed. And the mix is this impossible to re-wet peat.

I ran water through the potting mix several times. Of course it ran straight out the bottom. Then I thought that I would try to scrape some of the mix off the top of the bulb. That’s when I realized that despite my best attempt to moisten this container wasn’t going to happen.

So I re-potted it into a clay pot. You can’t quite tell that I have left some of the bulb above the potting mix because so much of that peat still clings to it. It will eventually wash off, but I am not a fan of over-saturating bulbs.

I am sure this will turn out fine–it has the tips of two flower stalks already showing.

And as a boxed amaryllis goes, this is definitely better than most. Now, if it just turns out to be white, it will be a home run!