A Taste of Winter

April Fool! Spring had arrived, and trees throughout the metro area were bursting with blossoms by March 21. Which, of course, means snow and hard freeze were about to make up for what winter had failed to deliver.

April 1 came with a promise of 12 inches of snow (which didn't fully materialize), and the mercury dropped pretty darned low.




Meanwhile, inside the Snowcatcher abode, my white picotee amaryllis finally came to full life.


Last year I did some research to find out how to pollinate my amaryllis and how to grow the seeds, assuming I obtained any.


The amaryllises we buy aren't brand new plants. From seed, an amaryllis will take four to five years to flower. Brand new amaryllis plants look like grass or onion shoots.

I wound up with about 200 seeds last year, and none grew from the first batch of 24 I planted. The remainder were stored in the refrigerator. This year I learned how to tell if seeds are viable (if the paper-thin seeds have a bump in the middle), and I learned they need to be planted right away after drying. Oops.


I'd already planted another 20 seeds just a week ago, and about three days later, a tiny seedling appeared.


I'm not sure what it is, but I don't think it's an amaryllis. Nevertheless, I'm letting it grow, hoping it might be a flower I will enjoy.


My seeds probably won't grow, but I'm trying again. I've purged the refrigerator-stored seeds and planted the four seeds with bumps in the middle. I've dusted pollen onto the pistil of the first white amaryllis. I did the same thing with the red amaryllis that bloomed earlier this year, but seed pods did not develop.

My white amaryllis put forth only two blossoms this year, so I guess that means it's past its prime. However, it also is sporting a "baby" on the side for the second consecutive year. I just learned I can gently separate that baby bulb and shoot from the parent plant after flowering is done, then plant it in a pot of its own. The baby could take two to three years to flower.

So perhaps I'll eventually have a new white amaryllis in the family, one way or another, after all!

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