Amaryllis plants are in bloom again. I have written 
about amaryllis or hippeastrum before but I just wanted to give you all a heads up that they are in the markets now, albeit erratically. Someone must be bringing in some of the medium or lower quality bulbs from Holland and are raising them for the ornamental floral market. The size of the blooms is somewhat smaller than the Top Grade floral shop amaryllis in the West, but they are stunning nonetheless. At PHP50 (FTI, Taguig) or PHP100 (Salcedo, Makati) a bulb, they are an incredible bargain, in my opinion… They come in bright red, white and several shades of pink. Buy them when the blooms haven’t quite opened yet so you get maximum enjoyment.
You can either plant them in a cache pot 
or cut the blooms and use them in a floral arrangement. I put 3 or 4 plants in a large ceramic cache pot and covered the bases with moss. A little raffia to hold them all upright and you have a great, economical floral piece. A few days later, I cut the remaining blooms and put them in a glass vase. The flowers lasted nearly two weeks with diligent watering (do not drown). They are a great alternative to Valentine roses. Last year I ordered dozens of bulbs from what I thought was a reliable supplier but on the day before Valentine’s he claimed he couldn’t get them to bloom (likely story…) so I ended up with a red tablecloth instead…don’t you just hate it when people commit to deliver something they can’t or don’t???
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MM, those are most likely grown here in davao, together eith a lot of other flowers and foliage that our growers supply to manila and everywhere. the amaryllis come in all shapes and sizes here. one more reason for you to come to davao, marketman…add that to the sans rival and other goodies in davao. by the way, lachi’s has a yummy durian sans rival….
Hi MM. Your photos of the Amaryllis captures its beauty. I knew about the flower only during my daughter’s wedding 2 years ago. She insisted on having ONLY RED Amaryllis for all the tables at the reception. No Mums or Chrysanthemums were in sight. It took the creative florist ( Robert of 1816) to arrange them in different ways. The whole setting had a ” ZEN” appeal. It was simple but stunning and somehow it carried through up to the ambience that night.
finally flowers! i miss your posts on flowers–this is what got me hooked to your blog in the first place. the amaryllis are beautiful. i’m getting married soon and this has given me a good idea on what to put on the tables. i’m sure everyone would love to go home with a flower such as this or even some other flowering plant. question: until when is amaryllis in season? what would be in season on october or december (dec: besides poinsettia!) =)
they’re so beautiful, i can’t get over gushing over them! =)
I wonder if airports allow passengers to bring such… my mom would love those
Shoppaholique, bulbs in your luggage should get through. I have brought in gladiola and narcissus bulbs before. Mandy, amaryllis are generally out around late december to about March, the same tiem they are available in the U.S. and Europe, raised from bulbs… October to December, there should be really good roses and some orchids in season… Marga, these flowers are pretty stunning…
I did the same:). I found them at the $1 store in the US:) hehehe, chucked out the pot and soil medium, wrapped it in newspaper and took it home:). yeah I like these flowers as well, hardy as hell, for me, I just put them in pots, and jst wait for them to flower at least once a year.