Hippy, hippy, Hippeastrums!

Well done Balcony..
and none were disqualified for growing in illegal substances... !!!
:o)))

No, they were all grown in perfectly legit compost! :-))

Lol. :o)))

Ooh they're lovely... I bought two just after xmas already potted because they were reduced from £3 to 70p, it said on the gift box to just water it and I was getting a bit concerned because they're in my little kitchen and one of them is already 21" high and because I haven't grown these before I was debating whether they were going to justify the space they're taking up. Your photos have convinced me that they will :o)

I always feel sorry for all the left over bulbs in the supermarkets after Christmas..You see them pushing open the boxes desperate to grow.

Lovely photos! I hope that's what I've got in store from one of my Christmas pressies. The bulb in its gold pot has thrown up two stalks, now about 8" high which should be red flowers (according to the label). What do I do when the flowers are finished?

They're all gorgeous Balcony - well done!

They are gorgeous Balcony, mine still comes up blind every year, now have 3 baby bulblets on the go beside the original, am I wasting my time by keeping them?

What beauties...

A competitor may be on the horizon , Balc , a new member posted a beauty today . See Posybeer .
Glorious flowers , with rapid genes for growth . Lovely "stable " you have there !

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments!

@ Franny: Please DO continue with them, they are the most friendly of plants & give so much & ask for so little! I'm so glad my blog has convinced you to continue with yours!

When you water do so sparingly, these bulbs hate having wet feet & will rot very quickly. Keep them rather dry. After the flowers are over cut them off & then let the stem die down naturally, don't cut it off before it goes yellow as it's returning nutrients to the bulb for next year.

@ Bilbobaggins: When we lived in Cuenca, Spain there were some Amaryllis growing in the green spaces around the blocks of flats where we lived. Even though Cuenca is much colder in winter than most places in the UK, south of Scotland, these Amaryllis managed to not only survive but multiply! These were red with a very narrow trumpet.

@ Nariz: When the flowers are finished cut them off but keep the flowering stem till it goes yellow. It's returning food to the bulb for next year. Don't water much, these bulbs have thick, fleshly roots which will rot quickly killing the bulb. Put it in a light place & feed occasionally, use tomato or rose feed, lots of Potash is what they need.

Thanks, Sheilar! Glad you like them! I like to share them with other people! :-))

@ Lincslass: Occasionally some bulbs will do that, I had a pure white one that in 10 years only flowered 3 times! Not much you can do except make sure you keep it in a light place & feed it with a high Potash fertilizer according to the instructions on the bottle. Tomato or rose fertilizer is what you want. They also need a few weeks of cold before flowering. About October stop all watering & don't water again till the New Year or until you see some new activity - hopefully a bud! Keep the bulb in a cold but frost free place till you start to water again then move it to a warmer place with lots of light.

@ Lulu: I'm happy that you like them! It's a shame to keep the photos hidden away on the computer when other people can enjoy them as much as I do!

@ Driad: I'm quite happy to have someone else who loves these beautiful flowers! :-)) I've been to her page & left comments on her beautiful flowers!

Just brought a new bulb in from the kitchen window. I'll post a photo in a day or two when it has opened some more. I may be able to add a 2nd one tomorrow & in a few days a third!

Thanks very much for the info, Balcony.

Thankyou Balcony,will keep persevering then...

Thanks Balcony, my tallest one's flower is nearly open..it's beautiful :o)

Always happy to help where I can! :-)) I hope you benefit from my advice & that your bulbs grow big & produce nice big flowers next year. If you have any questions on these plants I'll try to give you an answer.