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Professional Pruning

I rarely resort to hiring help in the garden but I'm learning that sometimes it is wise to do so and worth every penny. Case in point - some hideous out-of-control trees that were beyond my ability to deal with. If I were smarter, I would have tackled these issues from the beginning but I didn't know better. The first is a pear tree that was planted along the back fence line. I've worked on this for the past several years, every year with the intent of reducing the height or possibly removing it altogether. As you can see in the photo, I had cut back everything but three limbs and finally realized that it would be dangerous for me to try and bring them down. The limbs grow straight up into the air and the remaining three are about 20 feet tall.  After -- there is a hole in the sky view but the tree should fill in nicely for a good screen and I can keep it trimmed down from this point forward. Farther down along the fence line, and the view from the deck, are two massive pho

Potting Amaryllis


I love growing amaryllis but I never get them planted early enough for a Christmas bloom. To do that, you need to get them potted at least 6-8 weeks before. So, once again, I will anticipate blooms in January. 

For now, I've placed them in our plant window that extends out the kitchen window. Once they begin to grow tall, I may have to move them to another location.


This year, I have three different varieties and I am also experimenting with pot sizes (mainly because I did not have three of the same size on hand). 

Amaryllis like to be pot-bound so that should not be a problem with my two smallest pots. Even the largest pot is not really that big so it should suffice. 

The varieties are -

'La Paz'

'Naranja'



'Red Peacock'







Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Mine arrived later than I'd expected (even though pre-ordered in August) and, as all my pots are sitting outside, they're not getting the warmth they want to push them into bloom quickly in any case. Only one, a dwarf variety, has begun to sprout so I suspect it'll be January or later before I see flowers also. I went crazy and ordered a total of 18 (8 varieties), one trio of which was 'La Paz'. Some will be gifts...

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  2. You have some beautiful colors of amaryllis. I might even try one this winter. It is nice to have January blooms, something to look forward to. Everything is so grey and brown here.

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  3. Have always wanted 'La Paz' and never can seem to find any Cybister type. What a beauty! You can always save the bulbs and time them next year to flower at Christmas. The method is somewhere on the internet. Here easier to plant them in the ground--they are dropping their foliage now, will wake up in March and flower in April.

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  4. I've had unusually good luck planting amaryllis in cylindrical glass vases. Sometimes called "hurricane candle holders" I used 5" wide x 12" tall. I put a few inches of gravel in the bottom, then some soil surrounding the bulb and leave them on a windowsill. After they bloom and the leaves have completely died and dried, I put the entire thing in a dark closet. This is my 3rd year with some of them, so it will be interesting to see if they bloom. Leaves have emerged, so that's a good sign. Happy Holidays Phillip and Michael!

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    Replies
    1. Interesting - do you leave it in the closet all year? I've tried keeping them by planting outside and bringing them back in during the Fall but haven't had luck. I've seen photos of the glass vases. I need to try that.

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