On October 18, we talked about planting amaryllis bulbs in hopes that we would have blooms for the holiday season and, more specifically, on Christmas day. Well, we have blooms. Now! At least from one of the pots. However, as you can see, the pot that bloomed got "flopsy". This is the case with amaryllis. All varieties. So I set about fixing this problem and assuring that the bulbs in another pot did not suffer the same when they bloom. Read on.
As you can see here, this amaryllis bulb bloomed and provided us with these beautiful white blossoms. These are the Apple Blossom variety. I was expecting a slight pinkish hue on the very outer edges of the blossoms, but I do not see that. These appear to be all white, which is equally as lovely. Maybe a little mix-up at the bulb packing plant?
This is the other pot of Apple Blossom amaryllis on the other side of the fireplace mantel. This pot is growing strong and has remained in its upright state since the blossoms have not yet opened.
I made a run to the local Lowe's Home Improvement center to pick up two small dowels to secure the stalks of both plants in an upright fashion. These are 3/8th inch diameter. You do not want to get a dowel that is too large nor one too small. Too large and it will look terrible in the pot and detract from the look. Too small and it will not provide the support the plant needs to stay upright.
I chose this Valspar Satin finish spray paint for wood. I liked that it was paint + primer all in one application. That saves time and gives a great end result. I chose this shade of green because it most closely resembles the color of the stalks of the amaryllis. A dark green would have stood out like a sore thumb.
The dowels received several light coasts of the spray paint over the course of several hours. I like to give each coat ample time to dry before applying the next coat. I applied several coats on this side and then turned them over and applied the spray paint in the same fashion on the other side. Be certain that the dowels are thoroughly coated and that no raw wood is showing through.
In addition to the dowels, you will need a roll of this wonderful garden tape from Velcro. This is the most amazing stuff. You will just love working with it. I had not seen it before so this was my first time working with it. I can assure you a roll will be kept in the tool shed at all times from this point forward. It works like all Velcro works except it is green so it does not stand out on the plants when used in the garden. Or used to secure amaryllis!
You simply roll off as much as you think you might need and cut it with a pair of household scissors. It is all in one, i.e., one side is hook and the other side is loop. So you do not have two separate pieces you are working with. You simply position it around the stalk of the plant and the dowel and pull them tight together. Not too tight, but snug.
Here is the pot with the amaryillis that is not yet in bloom. I decided to go ahead and take the opportunity to get this plant secured before it blooms. As it grows taller, I can add additional garden tape as needed. This picture is a good representation of how to place the tape. At the bottom you will see that the tape is holding the stalk upright but it is not tight against the dowel.
And here, our other beautiful amaryllis in full bloom, secured to the wooden dowel. Also note here that the dowel is more or less hidden. The color is perfect and acts as a camouflage so that the dowel just blends in with the other colors. You will also note that I added garden stones to the top of each pot. That helps to stabilize the pots so they do not topple over. One additional thing. You see that each amaryllis pot sits inside a larger white pot. Those larger pots are clay pots that have been sprayed with white primer. We talked about spray painting these clay pots with sparkle spray paint in an earlier post. You have no idea what an ordeal that has turned into. We will discuss again in a few days when I hope to have solved the problems with that project. See, even at Crest Avenue we encounter problems with projects. The idea is to figure out what is happening and fix it. Hopefully before we post it here so that you do not have the same issues.
If you have not already planted amaryllis for this holiday season, it is too late for you to have blooms by Christmas day. Or even New Years'. But you can still plant them and enjoy them over the cold winter months. So stop by your local garden center and pick up a bulb or two and give them a try.
As you can see here, this amaryllis bulb bloomed and provided us with these beautiful white blossoms. These are the Apple Blossom variety. I was expecting a slight pinkish hue on the very outer edges of the blossoms, but I do not see that. These appear to be all white, which is equally as lovely. Maybe a little mix-up at the bulb packing plant?
This is the other pot of Apple Blossom amaryllis on the other side of the fireplace mantel. This pot is growing strong and has remained in its upright state since the blossoms have not yet opened.
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| Dowels on the painting table waiting to receive several coats of paint before being installed as supports. |
I chose this Valspar Satin finish spray paint for wood. I liked that it was paint + primer all in one application. That saves time and gives a great end result. I chose this shade of green because it most closely resembles the color of the stalks of the amaryllis. A dark green would have stood out like a sore thumb.
The dowels received several light coasts of the spray paint over the course of several hours. I like to give each coat ample time to dry before applying the next coat. I applied several coats on this side and then turned them over and applied the spray paint in the same fashion on the other side. Be certain that the dowels are thoroughly coated and that no raw wood is showing through.
In addition to the dowels, you will need a roll of this wonderful garden tape from Velcro. This is the most amazing stuff. You will just love working with it. I had not seen it before so this was my first time working with it. I can assure you a roll will be kept in the tool shed at all times from this point forward. It works like all Velcro works except it is green so it does not stand out on the plants when used in the garden. Or used to secure amaryllis!
You simply roll off as much as you think you might need and cut it with a pair of household scissors. It is all in one, i.e., one side is hook and the other side is loop. So you do not have two separate pieces you are working with. You simply position it around the stalk of the plant and the dowel and pull them tight together. Not too tight, but snug.
Here is the pot with the amaryillis that is not yet in bloom. I decided to go ahead and take the opportunity to get this plant secured before it blooms. As it grows taller, I can add additional garden tape as needed. This picture is a good representation of how to place the tape. At the bottom you will see that the tape is holding the stalk upright but it is not tight against the dowel.
And here, our other beautiful amaryllis in full bloom, secured to the wooden dowel. Also note here that the dowel is more or less hidden. The color is perfect and acts as a camouflage so that the dowel just blends in with the other colors. You will also note that I added garden stones to the top of each pot. That helps to stabilize the pots so they do not topple over. One additional thing. You see that each amaryllis pot sits inside a larger white pot. Those larger pots are clay pots that have been sprayed with white primer. We talked about spray painting these clay pots with sparkle spray paint in an earlier post. You have no idea what an ordeal that has turned into. We will discuss again in a few days when I hope to have solved the problems with that project. See, even at Crest Avenue we encounter problems with projects. The idea is to figure out what is happening and fix it. Hopefully before we post it here so that you do not have the same issues.
If you have not already planted amaryllis for this holiday season, it is too late for you to have blooms by Christmas day. Or even New Years'. But you can still plant them and enjoy them over the cold winter months. So stop by your local garden center and pick up a bulb or two and give them a try.
