Amaryllis Garden

Close-upssss

2011-05-21T14:38:00.005+08:00

Learning to take close up photos of various plants and weeds around the house.

Learnt a few things about photography. Manual focus produced better result. Aperture priority to control depth of field (DOF). Some of the things small, when magnified are beautiful!

Dutch Sonatini 'Flamingo'

2011-05-21T11:53:00.003+08:00

Rather fortunate that Royal Colors offered for sale several varieties of dutch Sonatini. I purchase a mix-variety 5 bulbs pack. They are small bulbs.

As of today, 3 bulbs have bloomed, 'Lollipop' the first, followed by 'Alasca'.

'Flamingo' bloomed but not in full, which, I believe is due to a stressed bulb. The bloomis small, around 2 inches wide and has a thin-picotee. It falls into a cute category :-)

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Again, it is my birthday today :-)

2011-05-01T10:55:00.005+08:00

A year older ... it is my birthday again today :-)

A few pictures from my yard

Sweet Lilian, on its 2nd day blooming, looks prettier

I notice, the dots are more pronounced on the petals and at the back of the petals

H Roseum, it is a special bloom because the bulbs I dag from my parents' house about3 years back. It is first time blooming

And a few more pictures

A surprise orchid bloom that my wife found hidden yesterday, smells nice :-)

Daily bloomers from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily

That's all for today, happy birthday to me :-)

Alasca, a sonatini white double

2011-04-29T21:38:00.003+08:00

Here is dutch sonatini double, Alasca

The tip of the petals has a trace of red lining ...

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2011-04-29T21:28:00.004+08:00

After a long day's work, nothing beat the feeling of seeing a surprise bloom.

Sweet Lilian, a gift from a dear friend, surprised me with a bloom. I got this bulb late 2009, and the last boom was in Dec 2009, and 16 months later, in Apr 2011, I can see it blooming again.

Still as beautiful as before, and, after growing in this hot and humid tropics,the red stripes and veining are less pronounced.

Here is the picture of the bloom in 2009.

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Varied varieties

2011-04-13T22:13:00.007+08:00

Finding it rather tough finding time to write any updates to this blog.

Enjoy a few photoshots ...

Probably the bunchiest of them all ... 'Double Dream', a view from the top

Not to be outdone, 'Tosca', with 8 blooms from one scape

The remaining, still attractive in its own way, starting with 'Exotic Star', with 2 blooms per scape, make it even more exotic and desirable

'Temptation', the name itself make you to want one

'Flamenco Queen' a deserving name

The green trumpet that has no name yet.

'Melfi' so elegant and classic

And lastly, and still in bloom today, 'Lollypop'

... the end

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

2011-02-03T17:07:00.003+08:00

To all my friends celebrating the Lunar New Year today, wishing you Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Blooms

2011-01-21T10:09:00.004+08:00

'Blossom Peacock'

'Mrs Garfield'

Cybister 'Tiramisu'

Cybister 'Melfi'

'Tosca'

Latest arrival!

2010-07-13T15:48:00.004+08:00

My own hybrid :-)

Just to announce the arrival of my new baby girl. We have not decided on her name yet.

She was born at 10:20pm, on July the 11th. Both the mother and the baby are in good health

Welcome to the world my little princess. You will have a great time ahead!

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To Mr Laurier Nappert, may he rest in peace

2010-07-13T15:13:00.005+08:00

Just received an e-mail that an Amaryllis friend residing in Canada passed away on 2nd May 2010.

To Mr Laurier Nappert, may you rest in peace. You had created beautiful amaryllises and had made the impossible possible.

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2010-05-01T00:01:00.002+08:00

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It is my birthday today ;-)

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Other Amaryllis blooms

2010-04-22T21:13:00.007+08:00

The regulars, Roseum by the chain-link fence. The bloom started about a month later, in March, compared to last year which was in Feb.

The red vittatum hybrid (his is the name that appears in the local on-line catalogue :-)

I like the dark-red stripes, striking up close

And, surprisingly, the recently acquired Habranthus Gracilifolius bulbs are blooming again.

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Hymenocallis Tubiflora

2010-04-22T21:07:00.002+08:00

Another surprise find, which is a different species of white spider lily usually found by the roadside in Malaysia.

The shape of the bloom is very much similar to the white spider lily. One if the differences is the leaves for this species are shorter but wider. Furthermore, I could not detect the fragrance that normally found from the regular white spider lily, Hymenocallis Littoralis

The photo of the flower

And the different leaves

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More on Double Flowering Hippestrum Puniceum

2010-04-22T21:02:00.006+08:00

Just some more info and photo on this rare species.

The petals are arranged 4 in a row, compared to 3 for other normal hybrids. Therefore, it appears that there are so many petals in the flower and the flower does not look like the other double flowering hybrids when it comes to petal arrangements.

Furthermore, there are close to 30 petals altogether in one flower

The back view, which shows the 4-in-a-row petal arrangements

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Double flowering Hippeastrum Puniceum species

2010-04-03T21:42:00.005+08:00

Probably the least expected event in the past few weeks, I managed to find an extremely rare and never seen before by most of the hippeastrum lovers all over the world. This rare double flowering hippeastrum species is probably the only double flowering hippeastrum species in existence now.

I was told about it by my two cari.com forummers, alifinara and sofiera. Both are regular nursery goers and they saw this double flowering hippeastrum. Upon seeing the picture, my first thought was, it was the hybrid, 'Lady Jane', but the petals are too thin and too frilly to be 'Lady Jane'. Then , upon seeing it in person, the size is of the bloom is small, about 4 inches across, with a small bulb as well. The petals are thin and gets frilly as they age. The throat is cream in colour, which is similar to the single flowering species, Hippeastrum Puniceum.

Further opinion from the experts, more or less confirm that this is the rare double flowering Hippeastrum Puniceum species. So far, from my search over the Internet, only two collectors have this, one in Hong Kong and another in Florida, USA.

Over the Internet, I could not locate any pictures of this being posted, just an old drawings, at the following links :

One name it as Hippeastrum Fulgidum Plenum

Another as Hippeastrum Fulgidum Flore Plenum

For the time being, I will call this H. Puniceum double.

How come the orchid nursery has this bulbs? ... I wonder, even though she adamantly claims that the bulbs are from the USA, which I believe is more of a sales pitch ...

Here are the photos

The bud

The flower bud, slighly wide in the middle

The flower bud before opening

The face

The throat, notice the cream throat and the anther with pollens

Another view of the throat

Side view

More pictures

Pictured with Roseum, same size bloom

But shorter scape and smaller leaves

With Neon

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Hippeastrum 'Red Pearl'

2010-04-02T22:22:00.005+08:00

Deep dark red. This is my third deep dark red hippeastrum.

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Crinum album

2010-03-21T23:00:00.000+08:00

Pretty much a tropical amarylids. Got it from my mom's garden who in turn got it from my eldest sister's garden.

White bloom with a crinum fragrance. Prefer partial shade. Now it is producing 3 scapes at one time.

This scape has 3 buds. The shape is lovely from the side. Like it.

Another scape, with 5 buds ...

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Habranthus Gracilifolius

2010-03-21T16:29:00.003+08:00

One flower per scape. Slightly bigger than Zephyranthes but smaller than Hippestrum. Bloom that faces sideway compared to upward-facing rain lily.

Found it at the Carnival Landscape Negara at Bandar Baru Bangi two weeks ago.

Straplike foliage, the leaves just a little bigger and longer than Zephyranthes Grandiflora

The bloom that faces sideway

Comparing with Z. Grandiflora

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Hippestrum Cybister 'Evergreen'

2010-03-21T16:28:00.007+08:00

All green. Light green. High flower count per scape. I have 5 and 7.

A bunchy look from a single scape.

View from the top

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Hippeastrum Cybister 'Rio Negro'

2010-03-21T16:25:00.010+08:00

Different petal shape. Defined line. Dots. Different yet beautiful

A sharp bud

Green throat

Veining and dotty petal

With 'Machala'. It is big!

With 'Mrs Garfield'

Together

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Reblooming

2010-03-08T23:37:00.003+08:00

Local amaryllids, so I get to enjoy the reblooms :-)

Scadoxus Multiflorus. Still amaze me with its fireball like bloom, biggr than a tennis ball

Roseum, opening its first bloom of the season

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Group Photos

2010-03-08T23:28:00.009+08:00

Just for comparison of size and colour :-)

Shacoba and Quito

Shacoba, Neon, Lemon Lime and Quito

Carmen and Quito

Machala and Carmen

Machala and Quito

Mrs Garfield and Quito

Mrs Garfield and Machala

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Hippeastrum 'Carmen'

2010-03-08T23:22:00.004+08:00

Another big dark red hippeastrum. It is liked by both my wife and daughter :-) The colour is as dark as Benfica.

It is difficult to capture the true dark red colour of this bloom. I had to adjust the exposure to -1.0 to obtain the closest true colour. But even then, I can not captur the velvety petals and the sheen at the at the throat.

A bunchy look. 2 scapes with a total of eight blooms

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Hippeastrum Cybister 'Quito'

2010-03-08T23:14:00.006+08:00

One of the prettiest cybister available. I really like the thin dark pink veins running along each creamish petal.

Before it was fully opened

Hippeastrum Cybister 'Shacoba'

2010-03-08T23:00:00.005+08:00

Named the grower, Ludwig Amaryllis, as '96-28' and still is not available commercially. It is named as 'Shacoba' at some websites. The petals are veiny, dotty, curly, wavy, foldy ...

The scape is dark brown, the darkest I have ever seen on a hippeastrum

It will push out its productive parts before opening

Fully opened, side view

The front view

Top view

Chocolate coloured ovary

Fragrance around the house

2010-03-03T22:29:00.004+08:00

Fragrant flowers around the house ...

Rangoon creepers

Jeliti

Melur

Kenanga

Harum Sundal malam

Pink Roses

Red Roses

Smells soooo good esp at night.

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Group Photos

2010-03-03T20:43:00.004+08:00

Now the group photos.

Enjoy the show :-)

Newon and Lemon Lime

Neon, Lemon Lime and Santa Cruz

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Hippeastrum 'Neon'

2010-02-28T20:36:00.001+08:00

Love the colour, so bright pink ...

Six blooms on this scape

Hippeastrum 'Lemon Lime'

2010-02-27T20:40:00.001+08:00

Pale yellowish green .... 3 scapes from this bulb :-)

Hippeastrum Cybister 'Santa Cruz'

2010-02-27T20:31:00.001+08:00

Classified by its grower, Ludwig, as a cybister. But for me it it does not look like a cybister at all :-)

Small in size less than 3 inches, short scape, full of veins and the petals get frilly as it ages ...

'Mrs Garfield' is confused!

2010-02-23T20:49:00.005+08:00

This bloom has 7 petals instead of the usual 6. Hope that it is regular for my future blooms :-)

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Hippeastrum Reticulatum var Striatifolium 'Mrs Garfield'

2010-02-18T22:45:00.005+08:00

Pretty common hippeastrum variety in Malaysia. Broad leaves with creamish stripe along its centre line. White petals with pink veins reticulating. Delicate. Prefers to partial sun.

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Hippeastrum Cybister Machala

2010-02-08T23:36:00.007+08:00

Dark pink stripes. pale green throat, creamish petal .. similar colour scheme with the beaituful Cybister La Paz, with smaller flower, and wider petals. It also has a dark pink picotee ... simply dainty and pretty

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H. Ambiance

2010-02-08T23:35:00.002+08:00

Elegant looking Ambiance ...

More blooms ...

2010-02-08T23:33:00.004+08:00

More blooms .... jut got time to update here.

Emerald. Light green with faint red lines and red picotee

Listing the blooms

2010-01-05T13:24:00.005+08:00

Continued from part 1 :-)

Lemon Sorbet

Trentino

Alfressco

Little Devil

La Paz

Pasadena

Bright Spark

Lima

Jewel

Baby Doll

Apple Blossom

Fanfare

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Blooming hippeas, part 1

2009-12-13T22:27:00.009+08:00

Struggling to find the time to update this blog.

Anyway, here is the first set of many :-)

Hippeastrum Sweet Lilian. Love the colour and the shape. Got the bulb as a trade from a hippea friend in Virginia, USA. Thanks a lot Pax!

With the Red Retic

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H Reticulatum var Stratifolium 'Bangkok Rose'

2009-11-20T13:02:00.008+08:00

Lack of info on its name, I will just call this H. Red Reticulatum :-).

Purchased it off e-Bay from Thailand in May 2009, about 6 months ago and now I finally get to see its blooms. It has variegated leaves similar to Mrs Garfield. The blooms, however, is similar to the species H Reticulatum var Stratifolium. The blooms is small, less than 3 inches in diameter

The flower, the reticulation, the picotee and the white pollens

Side view

Spreading its wings ...

And now, comparison with Mrs Garfield

The front view

The back view

And the leaves

Everything is about half Mrs Garfield's size :-)

H Razzmatazz' rebloom

2009-11-07T12:38:00.001+08:00

Purchased from CH just over one year ago, and has rebloomed a few months after me cutting its foliage.

At this lowland, the bloom is smaller, petals have less red, with more pronounced veins and dots.

When it bloomed last year, at the highland, it was like this :-)

Happy 1st Birthday, Marissa Aisyah!

2009-09-27T15:00:00.004+08:00

My third child, born premature by 6 weeks, on 15 Sep 2008, during Ramadhan of 2009.

Now she is 1 year old ....

The birthday celebration was postponed to 27th September because we were busy preparing for Balik Kampung for Raya.

Here are a few pictures

Happy Birthday Meryam, part 2

2009-09-07T20:12:00.005+08:00

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Nickname : Meryam

Likes : Play slides, play with her barbie dolls

Dislikes : Eat vegetables,

Favourite food : Ikan pedas (recipee by Ummi)

Favourite Drink : Drink milk from the bottle

Best friend : Adeeb, Nurina

Favourite toy : Barbie dolls

Favourite Movie : Barbie

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Happy Birtday, Meryam Halimah

2009-08-31T01:22:00.003+08:00

Tanggal 31, bulan 8, 2003 ... Meryam was born at Hospital UKM.

Meryam is my first child, and she was born in the early hours of the Merdeka Day. The name is also special becoz 'Meryam Halimah' is taken from the name of her grandmathers (Meryam is my mother-in-law's and Halimah is my mother's).

Here are some photos on her 6th birthday celebration.

The cake, an ice cream cake from Baskin & Robbins

Blowing the candles, her younger brother, Hazem, was also blowing the candles, much to her displeasure. As a result, we had to light the candles twice.

The three siblings waiting to cut and taste the cake.

The birthday present, from her mother.

Her birthday wish was to have a barbie wristwatch ... and she got it! It is original, by the way, comes with the special box.

My Amaryllis picture is used by a US company for its online business

2009-08-30T07:25:00.006+08:00

I know I have been taking great-looking pictures of Amaryllis/Hippeastrum flowers, but I never expect that my pictures are worthy of inclusion in an on-line catalogue.

I found that 2 companies in the USA are using my Hippeastrum Cybister 'Bogota' picture for its on-line business, without informing me or obtaining my permission. The two companies a big corporations and are offering many varieties of bulbs.

Here is the picture of the flower that I took using my Olympus u840, with a purple background. The paper is slightly crumpled.

The image that they use. Notice the slighly crumpled paper behind the topmost petal.

And here is the picture being displayed at Willow Creek Gardens

Amaryllis Bogata at Willow Creek

And another at its sister company, EasytoGrow Bulbs
Amaryllis Bogata at EasytoGrow Bulbs

Plagiarism is a form of flattery, I guess :-)

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Happy Birthday Hazem, part 2

2009-08-17T21:03:00.002+08:00

More of Hazem's picture on his birthday, celebration among the closest family members.

The birthday cake

The birthday card

The inside of the card, written by Meryam

Hazem is blowing the three candles

Hazem reading the card

Weighing the birthday present

And the present, a toy car

that transforms into BumbleBee

Happy Birthday, Muhammad Hazem

2009-08-10T15:32:00.010+08:00

Born on 10th August 2006, at 3:32pm at Hospital UKM. The above picture was taken at 4:16pm, 42 minutes after his birth. Hazem is my 2nd child, and so far, my 1st and only son.

Daddy got you and daddy love you.

Nick name : Hazem

Favourite drink : susu kow-kow

Favourite movie : Ultraman yang best (top at the moment). Also Cars, Baby Einstein, The Incredibles, Buzz Lightyear (Toy story) ...

Can not leave home without : pampers

Go to bed with : His baby blanket, his baby pillow, his ultraman soft toy and his plane toy

Best time to tease : Just after waking up from sleep, before drinking milk and eating any food

Commendable trait : Obediently swallow all kinds of medicine.

Worth mentioning : Talkative and expressive

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Hippeastrum Amy Maguire

2009-08-08T22:17:00.002+08:00

Another bulb purchased from Australia, Hippeastrum Amy Maguire is in bloom today. So beautiful, white with red veins, dots and red picotee ...

The veins, the dots and the picotees

Hippeastrum Equestre or Puniceum - red

2009-08-05T21:21:00.003+08:00

I have been trying to find an ID for this widely available here. It somehow resembles the species Hippeastrum Gracile.

It is red, the bloom measuring about 4 inches, on an 12 inches scape. The colour is darkish red, with creamish turning to green throat. Loves to multiply.

Here are the pictures

With Tosca

Germinating Rain Lily Seeds

2009-08-02T20:47:00.008+08:00

Zephyranthes, also known as rain lily, propagates through producing offsets or through seeds.

However, from my experience, Zephyranthes Citrina, bright yellow-coloured rain lily, do not produce offsets, but will produce 10-25 seeds from one seedpod.

My first experience with germinating seeds from Z. Citrina happened more than a year ago ... I was trying my luck by just planting the seeds in a pot next to my Agavae.

The seed pod, just splitted and ready to be harvested

The seeds, there were 12 seeds from the one and only seedpod, harvested on 16th July 2008

Then, a week later, to my pleasant surprise, needle-like leaves were seen growing

And on day 17, they grow even longer ....

And this is on day 37

Then I moved them to a bigger pot and forget about it. And they still survive without much care from me :-)

Hippeastrum Orange Rascal

2009-08-01T14:01:00.004+08:00

My cutest hippeastrum yet, blooms measuring about 2 inches on a tiny scape, just slightly bigger than my rain lilies

Next to a ruler

Next to Roseum

Next to my rain lily, Zephyranthes Citrina

Hippeastrum Roseum

2009-08-01T12:06:00.005+08:00

Widely available here. May be considered heirloom hippeastrums, already naturalised by the road side in in almost every body's garden in Malaysia.

I got mine given by my neighbour when he did his garden makeover in Jan 2008. I planted them en masse in my garden bed. It does not require any cooling period to bloom, may be just a semi dormant state. It can be forced to flower by cutting all of its foliage at the neck level, the the blooms will be forthcoming in about 2 months time.

Mine that are planted in the garden bed, in its second season of blooming, has been producing blooms since Feb 09 till now. I let them to bloom naturally without forcing.

Th blooms are salmon-orange-pink, with green throat, measuring 3.5 inches on an 18 inches scape.

With the red Puniceum

With Tosca

With Chico

With Night Star

With Germa

With Giraffe

With Blossom Peacock

With Andrea Maguire

With Zephyranthes Citrina, rain lily

Hippeastrum Mrs Garfield

2009-08-01T08:00:00.002+08:00

The long name : Hippeastrum Reticulatum var Stratifolium 'Mrs Garfield'.

Has been in existence since the 18th century (year 18xx). The strong point of this cultivar
1) Beautiful white with deep pink veins reticulating.
2) Broad leaves with a creamish white line along the backbone
3) Heavy offsetters
4) Evergreen ie does not require cold dormancy period to flower

Zephyranthes Candida

2009-07-29T20:20:00.001+08:00

Another rain lily species ... white

An this is Z Citrina and Z Reginae side by side

Zephyranthes Grandiflora

2009-07-29T20:17:00.004+08:00

These rain lilies are small, yet if a row of them are in bloom, they are a sight to behold

Special, with 8 petals

Hippeastrum Andrea Maguire

2009-07-27T23:21:00.002+08:00

Of the 5 bulbs purchased from Australia, Andrea Maguire is the first to bloom. It is considered miniature double, with cherry red veins, dots and picotee edges

With Blossom Peacock

With Giraffe

And together

With Roseum

Zephyranthes Citrina, part 2

2009-07-25T21:26:00.003+08:00

Better photoshots of this lovely rain lily

Zephyranthes Citrina

2009-07-24T19:55:00.003+08:00

Caught me by surprise ... after a period heavy rain last week, these small bulbs that I planted on the ground have been pushing up scapes, some with three to a bulb, and the colour is a bright yellow which is different than the one I bought from a different nursery, which is a pale yellow ...

The other species, Z. Reginae, a pale yellow

Hippeastrum, the true Puniceum?

2009-07-17T20:51:00.006+08:00

I have been eyeing this variety at eBay from a few sellers in Thailand because I could not find it at local nursery here.

Hehehe .... today is definitely my lucky day! I dropped in at a local nursery to buy a few bags of potting soil ... as usual, I would walk around the nursery just to browse around and see if I could find any new interesting plants. I walked to the back of the nursery, to the the section where there was the nurseryman's work area ... YAAY! I saw this orange hippeastrum that had creamish yellow centre ... the center is a knigh star shape, and the blooms measuring 4 inches.

The price tag was RM5.00 but managed to bargain it down to RM4.00 per polibag. If I were to buy it from Thailand, it might cost me more than RM30, including postage.

Here are the blooms

Orchid : Cattleya

2009-07-15T21:02:00.003+08:00

My two cattleya's that I bought at the same place at the same time in Decembar last year are giving out blooms at the same time. One is coloured yellow and the other coloured orange ...

Peruvian Lily

2009-07-14T13:48:00.002+08:00

Peruvian Lily or the scientific name, Eucrosia Bicolor .... tangerine, smallish with long stamens. Many blooms per scape

Hippeastrum Giraffe

2009-07-07T18:41:00.003+08:00

Miniature .... 4 inches ... maroon veinings on a light green petals. Only 2 blooms from this scape, one is facing upward!

Hippeastrum Vera

2009-07-07T18:39:00.001+08:00

Pretty in pink ... and large

Hippeastrum Naranja

2009-07-07T18:35:00.002+08:00

Orange ... large petals

Close uppppp

Japanese Roses : new additions

2009-07-06T13:33:00.007+08:00

Last week/weekend there were some new additions to my JR collection. Now I am in the process of replanting them again, in planter's box and in 4" plastic pots. I hope that come this Raya, all my JR will bloom profusely, provided the Meally bugs do not get to kill them first :-)

Here are the new additions :

1) Pointed Leaves, large 'Dazzle Doubles' orange

Pictured with the other small multilayered variety

These 'Dazzle Doubles' JRs, I notice, are bigger in size, and do not sleep at night. Early morning, the blooms are already open ...

2) Pointed leaves, large 'Dazzle Doubles' Red

3) Pointed leaves, large single white, get it from a friend

4) Oval leaves, large single orange, also given by a friend
No flower yet, but it is a large single, with rounded leaves.

Here are more more photos of JRs in bloom

'Dazzle Doubles' White, pictured next to the small multilayered white

'Dazzle Doubles' pink

Here is a better picture of 'Dazzle Doubles' cream

Enjoy the photos :-)

Hippeastrum Blossom Peacock

2009-07-04T22:19:00.005+08:00

Small double ... white with bright pink edges ... simply beautiful ... long lasting

Also from Royal Colors. I wanted to purchase it earlier last season but it was sold out. Royal Colors sent me as one of the Surprise Bulbs (3 Surprise Bulbs in a wooden box). So I am extremely happy and grateful ....

Japanese Roses

2009-07-01T19:59:00.005+08:00

Non amaryllis ... Japanese roses, small blooms measuring from 2 cm to 4 cm, but will produce beautiful and colourful blooms. I have them planted in pots and planter's boxes ...

Oval leaves, large single magenta flower

Oval leaves, large single yellow flower

Oval leaves, small hybrid white flower

Oval leaves, small hybrid, yellow flower

Oval leaves, small single magenta flower

Pointed leaves, large single magenta flower

Pointed leaves, large double pink flower

Pointed leaves, large double yellow flower

Pointed leaves, large double white flower

Pointed leaves, large double cream flower

Pointed leaves, small multilayered red flower

Pointed leaves, small multilayered orange flower

Pointed leaves, small multilayered pink/white flower

Pointed leaves, small multilayered pink flower

Pointed leaves, small multilayered white flower

Pointed leaves, small multilayered purple flower

I think that's all!

Those already can not be traced :
1) Oval leaves, small single white flower
2) Pointed leaves, large single white flower

Hippeastrum Parodii 'Germa'

2009-07-01T19:21:00.006+08:00

Note : Hippeastrum and Amaryllis are technically two different words and are used differently by botanists. Hipeastrum is the more correct word but amaryllis is more generally used. I try to use the correct correct word in my blog as much as possible.

Germa is my first yellow hippeastrum and is classified as trumpet by commercial sellers. It is by far, the smallest hippeastrum in my collection, even smaller than the widely available H Roseum.

Enjoy the photoseries ...

My Germa has this habit of curling back on its 1st day, then it will gradually return to its normal shape over a period of 1 day ....

Pictured with H Roseum because i want to compare the size

I also want to compare its trumpetness ... obviously Germa's trumpet is longer

Pictured next to a yellow plastic pot

Pictured with H Charisma (note : Charisma is on its 4th scape, which I hope is the last scape :-))

Pictured with Benfica

and in between Benfica and Charisma

I got my Germa from Royal Colors. Germa was no listed at its online shop, but was sent to me as replacement bulbs for my Pink Floyd that I received rotten.

Again, a special thanks to Royal Colors!

Hippeastrum Nymph

2009-06-28T23:11:00.006+08:00

White Double ..with red lines at the throat ...

Also from Royal Colors.

Hippeastrum Benfica

2009-06-28T23:06:00.004+08:00

One of the darkest red hippeastrum available today ... it is my darkest red yet

Got it from Royal Colors.

Hippeastrum Fairytale

2009-06-14T21:13:00.004+08:00

Very pretty, picoteed red, with fine red veins, and light green throat ...

Close-up of the light green throat

2 scapes, and both scapes have 6 flower buds! Will be a spectacular sight when all 12 are in bloom!

Pictured with the orange Puniceum, which I think a more proper name is Roseum

Not to be left out, Charisma is pushing for its 4th scape!

And finally, the 5 pots of Maguire's bulbs

Newly arrived bulbs this week

2009-06-12T20:27:00.003+08:00

Today, I've received 5 more bulbs, this time the original source is Australia which has some unique varieties. Hope these bulbs will give me blooms after blooms for years to come :

1) Andrea Maguire - Rich Pink/white double
2) Amy Maguire - Red/white double
3) Party Pooper - Red veins ... glorious
4) Lavender Blue - pink with dark red veins at the throat
5) Surprise - single, bright red with white picotee edges

The website is http://www.maguireshippeastrumfarm.com

Last week received a shipment from Royal Colors :
1) Benfica
2) Nymph
3) Dancing Queen - bloomed yesterday
4) Fairytale
5) Germa
6) Rembrant Van Rijn

With the above, I now have more than 50 varieties of Hippeastrums ...

Hippeastrum 'Dancing Queen'

2009-06-10T20:45:00.006+08:00

One of the hippeastrums in my top-11 wish list, is giving out beautiful flowers. Presenting Hippestrum 'Dancing Queen, a beautiful full double orange with white stripe. It is big, measuring 8" across. Thank you Royal Colors!

This is Dancing Queen, taken with Charisma

Enjoy the show!

Presenting Hercules

2009-05-31T10:57:00.007+08:00

This is Hercules in bloom, it is pink in colour with red veins ...

Enjoy the photos

Collection

2009-05-30T15:52:00.011+08:00

Just to update on the complete collection so far, and they have produced blooms, starting from the most recent blooms

1) Cybister Bogota

2) Charisma

3) Cybister Night Star

4) Gervase

5) Elvas

6) Cybister Chico

7) Aphrodite

8) Tosca

9) Ragtime

10) Rock n Roll

11) Amalfi

12) Mrs Garfield

13) Jungle Bells

14) Zombie

15) Wedding Dance

16) Razzle Dazzle

17) Gold Medal

18) Candy Floss

19) Either Razzmatazz or Stars n Stripe

20) Malaysian Minerva

21) Orange Puniceum or Roseum

22) Red Puniceum

Going to bloom
1) Papillio
2) Hercules

Yet to bloom
1) Bellissimo
2) Milady
3) Fanfare
4) Rozetta
5) Cupido
6) Bangkok Rose
7) White Amaryllis
8) Red Lion
9) Red n White from Florida

Seedling Size
1) Jade Serpent
2) Supreme Garden x Jade Serpent
3) Promise
4) Alfresco
5) Exotic Star
6) Voodoo
7) Striatum

My first post

2009-05-29T23:34:00.011+08:00

While waiting of the clock to strike at midnight, here goes my rants for the night.

We need to start something somewhere. This blog is about gardening in general and specifically about amaryllis. It seems that I can not find good info in planting amaryllis in Malaysia.

Here is a photo of my favourite amaryllis, hippeastrum 'Tosca', nice bright purple red colour, thin petals, red stamens, big flowers, tall scape ...

Hippeastrum Cybister Bogota

2009-05-24T22:06:00.004+08:00

Copied from My Fotopage

The pictures speak a few thousand words ... enjoy Bogota!

With Charisma

Hippeastrum Charisma

2009-05-17T22:18:00.005+08:00

Copied from My Fotopage

Charisma ... two-tone red and white, red throat with red lining at the edge .... beautiful, attractive, pretty ...indescribable, incomparable ...

With Night Star

The side view ...

The close-up ...

The 2nd scape has 6 flower buds ... will be spectacular when all are blooming!

And, there is a 3rd scape coming ... yaay!

Hippeastrum Elvas

2009-04-26T10:02:00.004+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

This is Elvas, pretty and pretty similar to Aphrodite. The bulb purchased from Royal Colors, flowered in 22 days after planting.

Enjoy Elvas, the hippeastrum

Side by side with Aphrodite

With red Puniceum, Tosca and Aphrodite

Another beautiful rendition from Royal Colors. The flowers from the first scape have faded, and there is a second scape emerging from the bulb! :-> :-> :->

Hippeastrum Aphrodite

2009-04-18T10:10:00.001+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

This episode features Aphrodite. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture. Aphrodite loved gaiety and glamour, and APHRODITE is simply IRRESISTIBLE! :drool3: :drool3: :drool3:

Here is Aphrodite, the Hippeastrum ...

The bud ...

The back .... half

The side ...

The two sides ...

3 quarter turn ...

Another 3 quarter turn ...

And the full view ...

Closer .....

Zephyranthes, a bunch!

2009-04-18T10:07:00.000+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

Easy to grow, multiply easily and will bloom after period of heavy rains, hence the name, rain lily. This time featured as cut flowers!

This morning, I noticed that they came with different petal counts, some with 6, some with 7 and some even with 8 petals

6 petals

7 petals

8 petals

Hippeastrum Cybister Chico, part 2

2009-04-15T10:18:00.001+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

The beautiful Chico was brought into the studio, or it was more like, the studio was brought outside to photograph Chico. The photo session was done last weekend.

Enjoy the photo series ...

8-) 8-) 8-)

Hippeastrum Cybister Chico, part 1

2009-04-09T10:14:00.001+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

Chico is a Hippeastrum classified as cybister. It is the most spider-looking of all hippeastrums, with small thin petals, burgundy coloured veining.

This is my first cybister .... so, I am pretty excited to see it blooming

The scape is slim and tall ... like a supermodel

The night before the first bloom, the top view ...

and the top view with full bloom ...

Side view ...

Up-close ...

With Tosca ... almost similar color scheme!

With the dainty Roseum ...

White Ginger Lily, Butterfy Ginger Lily

2009-04-08T21:07:00.002+08:00

Copied from my fotopages

White Ginger Lily aka Butterfly Ginger yang semerbak keharumannya ....

The bud on 22 Mar

and on 1 Apr

On 2 Apr ... dah keluar 2 tanduk

Pagi ni ... dah kembang macam kupu-kupu

Harum semerbak, terus diserbu sang kumbang ;P ;P ;P

A must have in a garden ... bentuk pokok macam halia, senang hidup, harum semerbak ...

Fireball Lily or Scadoxus Multiflorus

2009-04-01T21:02:00.003+08:00

Copied from my fotopages

No, it is not a fire! It is just that I see my 'fireball lily' bloom this week. It is just like a fireball, so fluffy, so yummy, I feel like squeezing it!

At first I thought there would be no bloom because last week, it appeared to bloom whilst inside the bud .... well, as time progress, the scape lengthened and .... walllaaa .... the bloom itself.

Looked like it was blooming within the bud ...

Terlintuk, before being supported with a plant stake ...

Now, it is standing tall and proud ...

A closer look ...

A very very close look ....

Hippeastrum NOID Red n White

2009-04-01T10:35:00.003+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

This species is widely available in Cameron Highland where they were planted as garden bed by the roadside.

I purchased the clump in when it was blooming in September last year ...and this time it has rebloomed under my TLC! I am pretty pleased with the bloom.

The bud, when I first noticed it on 21st Mar ...

The flower buds ...

And the blooms ...

A close-up

Planted en masse by the roadside in Cameron Highland

Amaryllis in Groups

2009-04-01T10:30:00.000+08:00

The photo series, this time in groups of 2s, 3's and 4's ...

Ragtime and Rock n Roll

Ragtime, Amalfi and Rock n Roll

Tosca and Rock n Roll

Rock n Roll and Red n White

Tosca and Fireball Lily

Rock n Roll, Tosca, Ragtime and Red n White

Red n White and Tosca

Tosca and Rock n Roll

Red n White, Tosca and Rock n Roll

Red n White, Tosca and Rock n Roll

Hippeastrum Tosca, part 2

2009-04-01T10:26:00.000+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

Enjoy the photo series ...

Hippeastrum Tosca, part 1

2009-04-01T10:22:00.002+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

Extract from Cik Wiki ...

[i]Tosca (pronounced: /‘t̪oska/) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardou's drama, La Tosca. The work premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900.

One of the most dramatic of operas, dismissed by musicologist Joseph Kerman as a "shabby little shocker",[1] Tosca is a staple of the standard operatic repertoire and appears as number 8 on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America.[2][/i]

Now, let's watch Tosca, the Hippeastrum ....

The bulb, received on 11th Mar, having its roots soaked ...

On the 15th Mar, the two tips of the bud were peeking ...

On the 21st Mar, the buds are growing so slowly ...

On the 23rd Mar ... see the big fat bud ...

On the 30th Mar ... the flower buds ...

On the 31st Mar, morning, the symmetrical flower buds ...

Wallaaa ... the bloom late in the day of 31st Mar .. so tantalisingly and mesmerisely beautiful ... the maroon coloured petals, the veining, and the creamish bottom half ...

Hippeastrum Ragtime

2009-03-27T20:50:00.003+08:00

Copied from my fotopages

Ragtime is American music genre enjoying its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918, it was like more than 100 years ago! Hehehe so long. frankly I do not know how ragtime sounds! Anyway, my Ragtime is a Hippeastrum flower, produced by Hadeco in South Africa and I purchased it together with Rock n Roll on 11th Mar during my last trip to CH.

Today, the flowers open up fully, so red and all multilayered red!

Enjoy the photo series !

The bulb, the bud and the pot ...

The bud opened up ...

And the blooms ...

Another beautiful double flowering red Hippeastrum :-> :-> :->

Hippeastrum Rock and Roll

2009-03-26T20:55:00.001+08:00

Ha ha ha! The name of the latest Hippeastrum to bloom is Rock n Roll, a beautiful full double flowering red with white stripe from Hadeco, South Africa. It was purchased on the 8th of March 09, during my short visit to Cameron Highland ...

The flower is huge, measuring close to 8 inches wide .... it is bright red and so attractive!

Enjoy the photo series !

The bulb in the pot, with the bud already peeking when purchased ...

The flower bud itself ...

And the blooms ....

I am so impressed with the bloom, and so happy because the tag is right this time!
:-D :-D :-D

Hippeastrum Amalfi

2009-03-22T20:59:00.002+08:00

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Amalfi is a town in Italy, surrounded by dramatic cliff and coastal scenary .... but I am writing about Amalfi, the hippeastrum. I puchased 3 bulbs at GBP9.60 at e-Bay. The seller is located in England, UK and the bulbs originated from South Africa. Of the three bulbs that I received, 2 are giving out beautiful pinkish with green throat blooms and look amazing with green background

Enjoy the photo series ...

The bulb and the bud ...

The flower bud ...

The blooms ...

Hippeastrum Jungle Bells

2009-03-03T20:45:00.003+08:00

Copied from my fotopages

Another new Amaryllis was in bloom yesterday. Jungle Bells bulb that I purchased from Maria off eBay has finally bloomed, 26 days after arriving here.

Here is the pictorial progress ...

The bulb, immediately after arrival on 4th Feb, was having a root soak ...

7 days later, it was growing slowly ...

15 days later, the bud was finally pushed out of the bulb ...

18 days later, the scape was getting longer ....

... then, on day 25, the two flower buds were bulging, ready to 'pop'

in the morning of day 26, one of the buds bloomed partially ..

And the full bloom in the evening of day 26 ...horray!!! I got to witness with my own eyes, a fully double light green Hippeastrum!

Happy!!!!!! :-D :-D :-D

Hippeastrum Zombie, part 2

2009-01-02T10:48:00.000+08:00

Copied from my Fotopage

After much anticipation .... the first zombie finally opened up on 30th Dec 2008, which is about 19 days after being potted ... it receives indirect sunlight during the day, and florescent light during the night .... I think that's one of the reasons the flower bloom in less than 20 days. Normally, as stated by the grower, it will need 28 days to bloom .... the other reasons could be :
1) Warm weather
2) Baja seaweed 8-)

For information, this is my first full double amaryllis and the first bulb that I purchased from overseas, coming from the USA. I was anxiously waiting with anticipation. Will the bulb arrive at all? Will it grow and produce beautiful blooms as depicted in the catalogue?

Now ... for the sequel, this is the gallery ... entahlah today feel like writing in English pulak ... all the pictures were snapped on 1.1.09, what a way to start the 1st morning of 2009 ... greeted by a zombie!!!

Two scapes ... the first scape produces 3 buds (2 are in bloom when the pictures were taken) and the second scape produce 4 buds (also 2 in bloom).

This is the picture taken from another angle . Notice that the bloom is facing a bit downwards ...

This is taken outside, the black background was removed, in its natural environment ...

Close-up of the bloom ... notice no stigma and pollens ... so, I am not putting much hope in collecting seeds from this variety ...

This is the picture of a showy zombie ... jadi bahan tayangan, placed on a garden table in my terrace ...

That's all folks ... hope you all enjoy the show 8-) 8-) 8-)

Hippeastrum Zombie, part 1

2008-12-31T10:45:00.002+08:00

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Cerita pasal Amaryllis/Hippeastrum 'Zombie'. Kenapa ia dinamakan Zombie entahlah ... ikut teorinya, sebab bunganya kembang tunduk sikit ....

Bawang ni dibeli secara tender melalui e-Bay dengan harga USD6.01 sebiji. Kos penghantaran USD5.65. Jumlah dalam RM sebanyak RM 37, kira OK lah sebab jauh nak hantar tu, dari USA lagi. Ikut ceritanya bulb ni dibiakkan di South Africa, lepas tu dihantar ke Holland. Kemudian dihantar kpd distributor/seller kat USA. Dari USA, bulb ni diterbangkan ke Putrajaya... hehehe dah jauh berjalan mengelilingi dunia ni ...
Bulb ni sampai masa kami tengah bercuti raya haji ... posmen baling je kotak tu dari pintu agar ke bawah porch .. :rant:

Ni gambo masa lepas buka ... kulit dan akarnya dah kering ... masih boleh idop ke ni? :-) :-) :-)

Selepas dikupas kulitnya yg kering ... ehhh ada dua bublets melekat, bila dah agak beso, nak asingkan masuk pasu lain ... heppi sesangat :-> :-> :->

Pastu rendam bhg akarnya dalam air overnight, supaya akarnya segar balik dan lembut ... senang nak tanam dalam tanah ... 8-) 8-) 8-)

Dah siap tanam dalam pasu ... media tanah campur pasir sebab pokok jenis bebawang memerlukan well draining soil ...kalau tak akarnya akan tumbuh fungus dan mereput :-) :-) :-)

Seminggu kemudian ...jeng-jeng-jeng dah keluar scape/spike ... wahhh ... ada DUA scape... lelagi hepi ... :-D :-D :-D

Sekian untuk kali ini .... tunggu posting yang akan datang kalau nak tengok bunganya ... hehehe :wave:

Hippeastrum Wedding Dance

2008-11-21T18:16:00.003+08:00

Copied from my fotopages

A story of white amaryllis ...

This is rare to find (in Malaysia that is), a white amaryllis. Upon my last 'detour trip' to Cameroon Highland last October 2008, managed to find a few Hadeco branded amaryllis at one of the nurseries there. It looks like all the Hadeco amaryllis there were importted a few years back, because all available there are of older varieties. Some of the bubs have grown to jumbo sized (measuring about 40 cm in circumference) ....

'Wedding Dance' is among the 9 pots of amaryllis that I purchased from Uncle Sam nursery in CH. Actually, lots of the bulbs there were mislabelled. The bulbs have been there for a few years, and it is very likely that some 'nothing to do' shoppers would find it fun juggling and moving the labels ...

For this Wedding Dance, when purchased, there was no scape showing yet, but after a week, there was a scape emerging,and slowly and steadily growing .... I was waiting with full anticipation that the flowers will bloom true to its name .... wallla .... it is pure white, with green eye ....simply worth worth the wait

12th Nov ...

16th Nov

18th Nov

Also 18th Nov

19th Nov

20th Nov

20th Nov

And the full bloom on 21st Nov

It stands tall among others ....

Hippeastrum Razzle Dazzle

2008-11-14T10:53:00.001+08:00

One of the earlier, older Hadeco varieties. Bought it in Cameroon Highland.

6 buds!

Hippeastrum from South Africa, bought in Cameron Highland

2008-11-01T11:02:00.001+08:00

Hippeastrum Gold Medal

Either Razzmatazz or Stars n Stripe

Candy Floss (or Milady?)