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Hardy Amaryllis Relatives

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In this Issue

1. Hardy Amaryllis Relatives
2. The Wonder of Amaryllis for All Ages
3. Cypripedium
4. The Fall Citrus and Rare Fruit Pre-Order
5. The Great Rose Pre-Order 2024
6. Spring Bulbs and Bare Root Pre-Order Launched
7. Opuntia Cactus Pad Pre-Order
8. Main Mail Order Catalogue

Hardy Amaryllis Relatives

Nerine, Amarine, Amaryllis belladonna, Amarcrinum, and more

The Amaryllis family is an important one when it comes to bulbs. It includes many genera that you would not think would be related to those beautiful indoor bulbs we all grow in winter which are known scientifically as Hippeastrum or by their common name amaryllis. They include the ornamental onions (Allium), snowdrops (Galanthus), snowflakes (Leucojum), and even daffodils (Narcissus)! 

There are other less commonly-grown relatives that more closely resemble amaryllis. They include Amarcrinum, Amarine, Crinum, Nerine, Lycoris, and Sprekelia plus the true Amaryllis itself, Amaryllis belladonna, known as naked ladies or belladonna lily.

These amaryllis relatives usually have strap-like leaves and six-part flowers that look like open flaring trumpets sometimes with broad petals or in other cases with narrow spidery petals. They mostly come in shades of pink but some can also offer white, red, peach, magenta, yellow, and red. The hardiest of them are able to survive to about zone 6 or 7. Others are only hardy to zone 8 or 9. Gardeners in milder climates can grow these bulbs outdoors. Luckily though, all of these genera grow well in pots and make excellent container specimens in regions where they are not hardy. In colder climates store them in a lightly frosted or frost free area over winter or bring them in as houseplants.

We carry a wide range of these beautiful bulbs in our Spring and Summer Bulb Pre-Orders. Get to know the various amazing amaryllids available now in the current Spring Bulb Pre-Order. Enjoy!

Amarcrinum memoria-corsii 'Howardii' - Crinodonna Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Amarcrinum 'Howardii' has pink amaryllis-like flowers for the late summer garden. Exotic, fragrant and gorgeous.

Amarine tubergenii Belladiva 'Anastasia' - Amarine Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

xAmarine 'Anastasia' has deep glowing pink flowers that look like a spidery Amaryllis.

Amarine tubergenii Belladiva 'Aphrodite' - Amarine Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

xAmarine 'Aphrodite' has rose pink flowers that look like a spidery Amaryllis.

Amarine tubergenii Belladiva 'Emanuelle' - Amarine Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

xAmarine 'Emanuelle' has light pink flowers that look like a spidery Amaryllis.

Amarine tubergenii Belladiva 'Paris' - Amarine Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

xAmarine 'Paris' has mid pink flowers with deep pink stripes and white centres.

Amaryllis belladonna 'Beacon' - Naked Ladies - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Naked ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) has late summer fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. 'Beacon' is glowing pink.

Amaryllis belladonna 'White Queen' - Naked Ladies - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Naked ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) has late summer fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. 'White Queen' is pure white.

Amaryllis belladonna - Naked Ladies - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Naked ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) emerge in late summer with bare stems topped with fragrant, pink, trumpet-shaped flowers.

Lycoris aurea - Hurricane Flower - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Lycoris aurea has showy, yellow, spidery flowers in fall followed by strap-like foliage.

Lycoris radiata 'Plenum' - Surprise Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Lycoris radiata 'Plenum' is a rare amaryllis relative with spidery, red flowers with thinly dissected petals creating full, ornate clusters.

Lycoris aurea - Hurricane Flower - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Lycoris aurea has showy, yellow, spidery flowers in fall followed by strap-like foliage.

Nerine 'Blue Flash' - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine 'Blue Flash' has beautiful rich deep pink flowers with hints of blue and lavender!

Nerine 'Elegance' - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine 'Elegance' has bright deep pink and red, spidery amaryllis-like flowers.

Nerine 'November Cheer' - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine 'November Cheer' produces lovely pink to salmon pink flowers.

Nerine bowdenii 'Alba' - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine bowdenii 'Alba' has pure icy white petals with just a hint pink blooming in fall.

Nerine bowdenii 'Isabel' - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine bowdenii 'Isabel' has bright glowing magenta pink, amaryllis-like flowers with a lighter pink stripe.

Nerine bowdenii - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine bowdenii has candy pink, spidery, amaryllis-like flowers in fall!

Nerine x humilis - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine x humilis is a hybrid cross that produces spidery amaryllis-like flowers in deep pink to pale pink on ruffled petals.

Nerine x humilis Dark Pink - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine x humilis Deep Pink is from a hybrid cross that offers rich pink spidery flowers.

Nerine x pudica 'Strawberry Sorbet' - Guernsey Lily - [Spring B&B Pre-Order] - Amaryllidaceae (The Amaryllis Family)

Nerine 'Strawberry Sorbet' has dark pink buds that open into light pink and white flowers with darker pink stripes.

The Wonder of Amaryllis for All Ages 

Grow Hippeastrum in Your Home this Winter

One of my more vivid early plant memories from childhood was growing amaryllis in the house during the winter months. I was amazed at this giant bulb that was supposed to be planted partially sticking out of the ground, not underground like tulips and daffodils. My Mom, brother and I planted our bulb and then we had to watch and wait for it to stir from its dormancy. I don't remember how long it took for the green flower bud to finally show itself pushing out from the top of the bulb but I certainly remember checking it frequently and then being amazed when it actually started to grow. The flower stalk seemed to grow nearly an inch a day! Up and up it went as the bud swelled larger and larger. Then the protective sheath split open to reveal flower buds. Not one, but four which gradually expanded into large bright red buds pointing horizontally in four directions. When the flowers opened they were huge -- about as big as my face -- and with incredibly saturated colour. I was impressed. Thus began a lifelong love of amaryllis.

'Purple Rain' sitting on my kitchen counter.

The amaryllis we grow indoors as houseplants originally hail from wild species native to South America. Their botanical name is Hippeastrum. They were once included in the genus Amaryllis, hence why we still call them this as a common name, but were spun out of this genus into their own when it was realized they were only distantly related to the South African Amaryllis belladonna, the fall-blooming naked ladies of gardens.

'Barbados' on the kitchen counter.

Amaryllis are an easy plant to grow. They are usually purchased in October as a dry bulb and planted for a winter decoration in the house. Either during or after flowering they produce attractive mid green strap-like leaves that makes them also an attractive foliage plant when in flower. They can be very long-lived and provide many years of pleasure and enjoyment but there are some tricks to getting them to rebloom. This is what you need to know:

How to Rebloom Your Amaryllis

1. Give them a summer vacation. Hippeastrum should be put outside in spring once nighttime temperatures are around 10 degrees Celsius. Get them gradually used to increasing intensities of light over a two week period until they are used to full sun. If you move them into full sun too fast the leaves can burn which appear as white marks on the leaves.
2. Fertilize your bulbs when you move them outside with a balanced four month slow release fertilizer or fertilize every one-two weeks with a liquid fertilizer with a higher middle number. If you're really keen to get flowers - a happy bulb can produce 2-5 flower stalks each winter, not just one - then apply a slow release in spring and then the liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
3. Leave your amaryllis outside well into the fall. In rainy places like coastal BC, move them out of the rain in September to avoid getting orange rust on the leaves. Keep outside until the leaves get hit by the first few frosts of the fall season. Don't worry about the bulb. It's actually hardy to zone 8 and can take frost with no problem. It is fine -- and even preferred -- if the leaves get a little damaged because at this point you should chop off all the leaves down to the base of the bulb. Spray some insecticidal soap on the bulb and into the leaf bases to suffocate any interloping insect pests and bring indoors. Store in a cool dry place in the dark and allow the soil to completely dry out. Do not water. Your amaryllis needs this dormant period - which emulates the climatic patterns in its native habitats - to initiate flower bud development.
4. Check your bulbs on a weekly basis watching for a bud or leaves to start to emerge from the neck of the bulb. Sometimes you might wait a month or two before growth begins again. If you've fertilized well, you should see a bud. If you've fertilized really well you could see multiple buds either all at once or in succession through the winter. If your amaryllis isn't ready to flower then it will produce leaves. (Though sometimes leaves could emerge before or at the same time as the flower bud.) At this time, bring your bulb into a warm, bright room in the house and begin to water, lightly at first and more regularly once growth really gets underway.
5. Sit back, relax and enjoy the wonder and beauty of your amaryllis.

One of my favourites, 'Bogota', in the living room.

Growing amaryllis is an easy and rewarding pursuit for gardeners of all ages and has the great benefit of providing beauty and inspiration indoors during the short, dark, and cold days of the year.

It's also a particularly fun activity for parents to do with their kids. You can select and buy the bulb with them, you can plant the bulb together, and you can have fun waiting and watching for it to stir to life and then rise up like a Jack's beanstalk and bloom with its impressive flowers. It's a great lesson in botany and gardening.

Another favourite, 'Exotic Star', in the dining room.

Our amaryllis bulbs are arriving on Friday. Pre-orders will be prepared for pick-up and shipping and extras will be available for purchase for in-person shopping late in the day on Friday or Saturday. Call first to check. You can also still order online for pick-up or shipping to secure your favourite cultivars. Here is our selection this year:

We carry large grade bulbs so you should get 2-3 stems per bulb this season on most bulbs.

Cypripedium Hardy Lady's

Slipper Orchids

36 Stunning Treasures for Part Shade

Are you ready to explore the beautiful and rewarding world of hardy orchids? Try our lady's slippers. Most are hybrids with extra vigour and ease of growth. They can double in size each year under good conditions! That is something to behold.

Learn more about growing lady's slipper orchids.

The Fall Citrus & Rare Fruit Pre-Order

246 amazing edibles for your growing and eating pleasure!

We are excited to offer our largest selection ever of fall Citrus - 89 different varieties - with new cultivars including cold tolerant and hardy varieties! We also offer an amazing selection of other interesting, unusual, and tasty subtropical and tropical fruiting and edible plants plus a few of their hardy friends. In total we have 246 rare, unusual and cool edibles for your growing and eating pleasure. We are also working to secure supplies of paw paws, jujubes, and pineapple guava for fall. If we are able to get these plants, we will do a second launch in early September and announce first in the Edible Alert then in the main E-Newsletter. Enjoy!

The Great Rose 

Pre-Order 2024

1st Launch

113 Roses including 59 New Cultivars!

We are excited to begin offering pre-orders on our largest selection of roses ever for the 2024 season! Roses will be available in various launches as we receive confirmations from our growers:

1st Launch: August 2023 - 113 different cultivars including David Austin, Brad Jalbert, Meilland, Kordes and other roses. In all there are 59 new roses to discover!

2nd Launch: Early Fall 2023 - Patio Tree and Standard Tree Roses

3rd Launch: Late Fall/Early Winter 2023 - More David Austin, Kordes, Meilland, Jalbert and other top roses

4th Launch: February - More David Austin roses including some of the new cultivars! 

To be the first to know when a launch occurs, sign up for the Rose Alert.

Spring Bulbs & Bare Root Launched!

665 Amazing Species & Cultivars for your Spring Garden

We are always excited to launch a new pre-order. But we really do love launching our spring bulbs and bare root! There is so much diversity. So much colour. So much intrigue.

This year we have expanded our peony, bearded iris, and tulip selections and, as always, are bringing you tons of new options for your garden - more than 140 different bulbs and bare root that we have never offered before.

Have fun exploring!

Opuntia Cactus Pad Pre-Order

28 Dangerous Suspects Available for Pre-Order Now!

The garden can be a dangerous place, especially when it includes hardy cactus! We're pleased to offer a selection of 28 different Opuntia and Cylindropuntia for pick-up or shipping in August and September once this year's pads are fully developed. We are discontinuing growing cactus rooted in pots so both local and mail order customers will need to order from the pre-order. Cactus pads are easy to root in free draining media by laying them flat on the ground or by burying a small portion of the base. 

Have fun exploring!

Main Mail Order Catalogue

1200 Amazing Plants for Canadian Gardeners

We are so excited to launch our Main Mail Order Catalogue for the new season. We have so many amazing plants to share with you this year including more than 300 plants that are new to horticulture or new to our mail order catalogue. At 1200 plants, this is our largest selection ever. We hope you enjoy shopping for your new treasures.

We welcome orders for both shipping and pick-up. If you're a pick-up customer, please follow this link to our Plants to the People page and read the "What type of customer are you?" section to understand how your order will be handled and for advice on how to best use the services connected with our mail order site.

Please remember to place separate orders for the Main Catalogue and the Pre-Orders as all must ship at different times. Please don't mix main catalogue items with pre-order items and please don't mix pre-orders together. All the sections in the main catalogue can be ordered together as these plants all come ready in May and June.

Help Us Spread the Word

Please tell your friends and family about Phoenix Perennials. Share this email with them, tell them about your mail order plants, or bring them with you to visit the nursery.

Thanks so much!

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Update Your E-Newsletter & Alert Subscriptions

You can manage your subscriptions to our E-Newsletter and occasional subject-based Alerts at any time by clicking on the "Update Profile" link at the bottom of every E-News or Alert. The E-Newsletter comes out twice a month. The 18 different Alerts come out occasionally when we have something exciting to tell you:

Happy Gardening!