Amaryllis (3) on living room table 26-10-2012 001

I've just bought four cheap and planted them in the garden. They are 25cm deep, sat on 10cm of gravel. The soil temperature was still 8°c. Bit of a risk I know, but it'll look great if it comes off!

I'm afraid you may have throw your money down the drain, Meanie! :-(( These bulbs should NOT be buried to start with! You should plant them only half their height deep, that is half the bulb, at least, should sit out of the soil. These bulbs are also greenhouse tender &, unless you dig them up PRONTO you will lose them!

I hope it's not too late for my advise to reach you. We are forecast a very hard frost for tonight & it may possibly be too late already! :-((

They only need a 6" pot & they will live happily in one for several years. That's what I do with mine.

I know that the odds are against them a little. I followed the advice on the link below, adapting it a little to give them a bit of a chance. Four for a quid, so worth a punt.

The link (the relevant bit is at the bottom)...............

http://bit.ly/U3Xkg1

I had a look at the link you posted above & it surprised me no end! So I hope your gamble pays off - you must let me know!

I'll have a flowering bulb for Christmas as the bud on my latest bulb is just showing colour! :-)) I don't seem to have any more at the present moment or perhaps I haven't seen any more yet! When you have more than 50 bulbs it's a little difficult to see when a bud is coming out till it gets to about 20cm high!

I will. As I see it the trick is to pick a spot where the soil will warm up the easiest. I was surprised how warm it was that deep down though.
They were cheap enough to take a risk with.
My Hippaestrum cybister was outdoors in a sheltered spot until just a few days ago - when the foliage wilted I bought it into the cool spare room and there is new growth emerging already!

50 bulbs! How many of them are your seed grown ones?

All of them are grown from my own seeds except two I was sent by a person on another gardening forum!

I also have another tray of seedling Amaryllis from a cross I made with some pollen a lady from the USA sent me- without asking me first! She sent me pollen from several different Amaryllis but only one lot fertilized properly & developed seeds. I send her some & some more to another person who wanted to give them a try & I sowed the rest for myself! I don't have a clue as to what I'll do with them in the coming years!

How long from seed to bloom?

It takes at least 4 years for the seeds to make big enough bulbs to produce flowers. So I know I'll have to wait another 3 years before the seedling I have are big enough to flower - to see what I'll get from the cross!

Not too bad then.................

If you have the patience - & the space!

I have the patience, but lack the space. I waited seven years for my Bird of Paradise to bloom.

Patience when growing things is a case of waiting where as space that's something altogether different! Not much you can do about that - especially if it's lacking! I should know having gardened on balconies alone for most of my life!