Unlike Amaryllis 'Lemon Lime' and some other miniatures I've grown in the past, 'Fairy Tale' is really a mini bulb. The circumference of this particular bulb was about 10 inches and has produced one scape (flower stem) that has opened, and there's another on the way. The opened scape is about 14 inches tall and produced four red and white stripped flowers with a green center.
These photos of the flower of 'Fairy Tale' are kind of misleading in that they make the flowers look kind of large. Each of these Amaryllis flowers is only about 4 1/2 inches wide.
The diminutive blooms are on par with the blooms of Amaryllis cybister 'Chico' and are just as dramatic as the blooms of larger bulbs like Amaryllis 'Charisma.' I searched some Amaryllis sites and forums for information on this bulb after it opened and it seems like there are a lot of pictures of a bulbs labeled 'Fairy Tale' that are more of peach color, and some where the red and white striping is a lot more dramatic.
This particular Amaryllis came to me from Longfield Gardens, they sent me a few bulbs for free from the collection they carry to grow and review on my blog. Have you grown 'Fairy Tale' before? I've read it was introduced in 1999 and I'm surprised there aren't more Amaryllis enthusiasts with pictures of this flower online.
Click the Amaryllis label for more information on growing, planting, and propagating Amaryllis bulbs.
Ive never seen such gorgeous photos of amaryllis!
ReplyDeleteThat's very kind of you to say!
DeleteSmall is a nice feature, thank you for sharing it is lovely. I had my amaryllis bulbs out in summer camp, rested them for about 8 weeks and was happy to get them going again. But they did not bloom this year :-( What do you think Mr. Brown thumb? Where did I go wrong? Perhaps not enough feeding I am thinking, I am a bit negligent about that.
ReplyDeleteRenata, I think it was probably not fertilized enough. I feed them heavily in the spring and summer to ensure they bloom again after going dormant.
DeleteMBT, it's perfectly gorgeous. If one did not know you, one might think you had painted those photos instead of snapping them. I am a bit confused. Did you really mean a circumference of 10 INCHES. That does not seem small to me. Am NO expert on Amaryllis (under either name!), but that seems like about the same size as the "normal" sized one I grew this winter. Don't feel like digging it up to measure it, but ... i don't really understand. thanks.
ReplyDeleteWebb, Thanks. I wish I knew how to paint. Yeah the circumference of the bulb for this one will max out at 10 inches. Since the bulb has bloomed it has "shrunk" to about 7-8 inches in circumference. I planted an Amaryllis 'Lagoon' bulb that was double the size of the 'Fairy Tale' this year. I should post pictures of my 'Charisma' bulb after spending a summer in the garden. It was almost as big as a kid's head. When you buy good quality bulbs they're a lot bigger than normal. I think it may have to do with the fertilizing the growers do.
DeleteIt is truly Beautiful and I'm just a little jealous. ;-) I do have one amaryllis blooming right now. (I think this bulb is 5 years old.) Not a miniature. I'll have to wait awhile for the others. ha. I'm usually the last one to post these flowers, so I'm pretty happy right now!
ReplyDeleteHi Shady Gardener,
DeleteEarly on when I started blogging about growing amaryllis bulbs, I learned to keep them dormant longer so I could have blooms later and have content for the blog after Christmas when everyone else had already blogged about their bulbs. ;0) You're smart to hold off on yours too.
It is gorgeous. The color contrast is so vivid. I've never really thought to grow amaryllis but now I'm kind of re-thinking that.
ReplyDeleteNadia,
DeleteYou should. They are almost fool-proof. The bulbs come ready to bloom and you just plant them and water them--and POOF! a big, gorgeous flower. It's best when you can find bulbs on clearance at the end of the holidays.
Chris M, Sorry your comment got caught up by the spam filter because of the link and I can't retrieve it. Thanks for your comment though.
ReplyDeleteLovely. I really regret that we didn't plant any Amaryllis this winter.
ReplyDeleteSUPER cute! I'll have to look for those, miniature will fit better with my current houseplant mob :)
ReplyDeleteI adore these mini amaryllis, I might have to try and find this one!
ReplyDeleteThese remind me of stargazer lilies. They have similar coloring.
ReplyDelete