{"id":5125,"date":"2013-11-18T03:20:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T08:20:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-08-13T17:57:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T21:57:00","slug":"amaryllis-confidential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/","title":{"rendered":"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nIt seems everywhere we look today, there are amaryllis. On those hip lifestyle blogs “white Amaryllis for Christmas”, on Pinterest ( you know, “how to grow an amaryllis in a jar”), every single retail store has them merchandised in handy kits on endcaps, even your local hardware store carries these easy-to-grow and showy giants. “They’re just McMansion housewife flowers” one of my younger, and most cynical  graphic designers called them, this past weekend.  Ugh. Probably because they can look as tasteless as a tacky Holiday sweater to some who cannot associate memories or nostalgia with them, but the amaryllis has much more to offer than mere holly berry red and snowman white seasonal metaphors worthy of a Restoration Hardware catalog cover. <\/p>\n

The genus is broad and the newest hybrids, exotic spider flowered ‘cybister’ types, dwarf miniatures and curious rare species can be so incredibly interesting, that getting bored is hardly an option. For me, who comes from a time when there was only 5 forms available, todays wide selection can only mean that the amaryllis is becoming more and more interesting each and every year. After all, amaryllis really deliver on all fronts, except perhaps fragrance. It really all comes down to finding the best varieties, and growing them in the best manner. So I will share my amaryllis secrets ( and even a few personal gripes) with you.
\nClick below for more:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThere was a time, (like way back in the mid 1960’s when I started growing these giant bulbs as a kid), when obtaining an amaryllis was more challenging than it is today, but today, Amaryllis are everywhere. Pre packaged bulbs advertise that they are as easy-to-grow as paperwhite narcissus, and Yes,
\nthey ARE that easy to grow, but they are not completely fool proof, and like anything when it
\ncomes to plants, there are some essential facts one must know if one intends to master these delightful plants. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIf you are in a hurry, here is my executive top-line.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n1  1. <\/span>  <\/span><\/span><\/span>Buy your bulbs from a reputable grower –  My bulbs come from all sorts of placed, but my best bulbs come from<\/span> White
\nFlower Farm ( they have the largest bulbs and although they are expensive, I find them worth
\nthe cost). I also buy some from my local supermarket, don’t worry. Most every amaryllis bulb will bloom
\n
<\/span>
\n      2. Grow them like a big boy ( or big girl) \u2013 that means no vases
\nwith stones, no jars, canning jars with coir, no bulb vases \u2013 there is a reason
\nwhy they stopped making them in 1608). Bulb forcing jars are great for many Dutch bulbs such as hyacinths and crocus, but I personally don’t like to use them for amaryllis. If you just love the look of amaryllis in a glass vase with gravel, then use a tall vase or vessel, and place the bulb in the bottom of the container, so that they sides of the vessel can hold the tall stems erect.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n      3. No matter what other blogs may tell you, amaryllis are not that easy to rebloom.  I applaud all efforts that go into keeping a bulb through the year, but I find it difficult to justify the care, and the space. I give you permission to throw your bulbs away when you are done. <\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n      I am just being realistic. Read on,
\nand you\u2019ll see why.<\/span>
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nI grew my first amaryllis in the 1960\u2019s when I was just a
\nwee kid, purchasing a large, fat bulb with the bud just emerging from a local hardware
\nstore (Spags \u2013 as in \u201cNo Bags at Spags\u201d). Thanks to my who had a strict limit as to how much I was allowed to spend on Mallocups and Dutch bulbs, I could somehow afford to add a couple of amaryllis bulbs into my allotment.  This idea of a parent allowing me to spend my
\nallowance on  <\/span>paperwhites, baseball
\ncards, amaryllis and Hot Wheels \u2013 not always in that order. You guessed it, I
\nwas not your \u2018normal\u2019 kid. Unless you consider weaving potholders and saving
\nyour own radish seeds as an expression of \u2018normal\u2019. <\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nGetting bulbs to bloom for Christmas<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nMany of us now associate large, showy red and white
\namaryllis with the Holiday season, but the truth is, this is a bit early for
\nmost amaryllis bulbs being forced into bloom in the Northern hemisphere, as
\nmost need 10-14 weeks to emerge and bloom, often in late January or
\nFebruary.  <\/span>Christmas blooming
\namaryllis is actually a newer trend, which is why you may be noticing some bulb
\ncatalogs separating Christmas-blooming varieties from regular named varieties.
\nThe bulbs sold as Christmas blooming, are generally ( or should be) those bulbs
\nthat have been grown in the most southerly part of Earths Southern
\nHemisphere ( mainly Peru, Chile and South Africa), and indeed, these are ones best chance in getting an amaryllis that will bloom in time for Christmas.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nJust purchasing ones amaryllis  bulbs early, and then planting them by
\nThanksgiving will not guarantee that you will have flowers by the New Year. One must be certain that the bulbs purchased came from a reliable source,
\nand one which ensures that the bulbs have been properly grown in the most southerly
\nparty of the southern hemisphere as these are the bulbs that are most likely to
\nbloom for Christmas. <\/div>\n
\n

<\/div>\n

\nThe Proper Way to grow Amaryllis<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIt\u2019s true, one cannot go wrong with an amaryllis bulb, at
\nleast if you just want it to bloom. It really doesn\u2019t matter on the price or
\nsize, or where it came from, as the flowerbuds have already been formed deep inside
\nthe bulb, and it is essentially preprogrammed to grow, ( even the term
\n\u2018forcing\u2019 isn\u2019t really right in this case, but OK,  I\u2019ll let it slide), and unless
\nthey have been exposed to freezing temperatures, there is often no stopping an
\neager amaryllis from blooming, ( you know, those sad, twisted white stems
\nemerging from the bulbs at Home Depot). They are dumb easy.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nBut, they can be grown to perfection, and here\u2019s how:<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nMost species in the Amaryllis family truly don’t go botanically \u2018dormant\u2019 , rather, the foliage may dry in summer heat, but they large fleshy roots continue to grow. You large bulbs have had their root removed for shipment, so this shock sometimes affects flowering in your bulbs second year, as Hippeastrum ( amaryllis is only their common name) form flower buds at least two years in advance, and they are stored deep inside your bulb.<\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\nThe Importance of Amaryllis Bulb Size<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nWhich brings us to bulb side, and number of stems. I know, we would all love an Amaryllis with 5 or more bud stems, but that just isn’t going to happen no matter what the plant catalog photo shows. Most amaryllis  bulbs will produce at least one fat bud, but the real skill comes in nurturing your bulb trigger the emergence of a second and if you are truly blessed, a third bud. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAmaryllis are sold commercially by size, and size equates
\ncost, in most cases. You get what you pay for with amaryllis. All amaryllis are
\nsold by centimeter  <\/span>( look for 30
\ncm to 40cm bulbs if you want the promise of more than one stem from a bulb).
\nThis is why I suggest White Flower Farm as your retail source ( there are other
\nsites that offer large bulbs, but then one must factor in variety, and WWF
\noffers an enormous selection of new varieties not found elsewhere). They are my
\nfavorite sources for Amaryllis ( again, I have never been paid by them, nor
\neven talked to anyone there, I just like their sources, their buyers taste, and
\nthe selection they offer \u2013 plus, I have had excellent success with them). <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThey buy the largest bulbs available, and most produce 3
\nstems, which can make a $35  <\/span>bulb
\nmuch more justifiable. When buying a bulb, look for the .cm size, and suddenly,
\nthose prices will begin to make sense. Sure you can buy an $8.99 bulb, as I did
\nlast week that is 30+cm, but they are hard to find. ( thanks Wegmans!).<\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nThe Business of Amaryllis<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nObviously, the business side of amaryllis is indeed big
\nbusiness. The largest wholesale amaryllis growers are in the Netherlands, yet
\nsome growers are in New Zealand, Israel and Peru. Just to give you an example
\nof the size of the agribusiness 
\n<\/span>side of amaryllis -since 1999, the top ten Israeli growers supplies only 6%
\nof the global demand for amaryllis for the Christmas Season, and that is about
\n30 million bulbs, annually. ( from the Dutch floriculture industry report on
\nAmaryllis).<\/div>\n
\nI made a huge error in this post earlier, but a kind reader pointed out that Amaryllis ( the ‘true’ Amaryllis is actually Amaryllis belladona, and native to South Africa – this plant has nothing in common with the bulb we all know and love as the Amaryllis, which is botanically a Hippeastrum. which is native to South America – Amaryllis ) um, I mean Hippeastrum are true New World plants). ( know, the whole Geranium\/Pelargonium thing, right? Crazy taxonomists).<\/div>\n
\n

\nPropagating Amaryllis<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/div>\n
\nSeeds may seem like an easy way to grow amaryllis, but
\ntoday, most are grown via micropropagation – tissue culture, as it is far more
\npractical than raising new plants from seed. If you have seed set on your
\namaryllis, you can certainly try, but it is a futile venture. Amaryllis seed is
\nnotoriously fussy and it has a low rate of germination, even for the experts. So
\nif you have seed, one or two may germinate, but considering the time it will
\ntake for you to grow-on the seedlings, the complex nutrition required and the
\nlight quality \u2013 basically, anyone who is telling you that you can grow your
\namaryllis from seed is terribly amateurish.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThe only time growers bother to propagate from seed is when
\nthey are breeding for new varieties, or when they are looking for variation.
\nThe rest? We can thank some scientist for the creation of ’tissue culture’  -a method of starting millions of plants in a
\nlaboratory from cells ensures perfection, and supplies us with the multiple
\nclones of a specific selection \u2013 i.e. named varieties that you see in catalogs.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIf I wanted to multiply a bulb, I would cut the bulb, split
\nlike an onion, and try to attempt basal plate propagation as I do when I bulb
\nchip nerine, but really \u2013 it\u2019s just not worth it, as rot, the time required for
\nproper growth to blooming size. I rather buy my bulbs.
\n
<\/span>
\nHow to get your Amaryllis to rebloom<\/b><\/span>
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nIf you insist on trying to rebloom your bulbs next year ( I
\nhave done it, but it does have its downside), here is my best advice:<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nRemember -Your bulb is a plant, and in order to achieve any
\nsuccess, you will need to plan on not just growing your bulb, but on
\ncultivating it. Plants are living things, which require proper care based on
\nsound, horticultural science.  <\/span>So
\nplan on finding the proper nutrients ( low nitrogen, high phos.and pot), the
\nproper micro nutrients, the right amount of sunlight and day length, and the
\nbest soil medium you can provide.  <\/span>Amaryllis prefer a porous, faster draining soil,  <\/span>with some organic matter, but perhaps
\nwith more perlite or gravel than one may think that they need. <\/span><\/p>\n

Amaryllis require a soil pH of 6.5,
\nwhich makes the idea of growing them in pure peat or coir as they commercial
\ndistributors often supply with your bulb, absurd. Find a good, balanced
\nprofessional potting mix, and add 30% gravel or perlite to lighten the mix,
\nalong with dolomitic limestone. One potted, your amaryllis should not need
\nrepotting for 3 years in this soil, which it will appreciate, for as I
\nmentioned earlier, amaryllis dislike anyone touching their roots, let alone
\ncutting them off.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nStarting your own Amaryllis from seed<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nI need to be honest \u2013 raising your own amaryllis from seed
\nis a bit of a silly idea for most people to attempt. It is  best left to the inexperienced amateur gardeners, and some bloggers who I found who somehow,
\nlove to post about their ‘unbelievable ease in both pollinating and raising
\ntheir own amaryllis’ ( I know, right?).  Let’s be sensible. However,<\/span> your amaryllis may set seed, but  the odds are not in your favor , as your seed will be mostly sterile.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIf you live in the southern US, you might be saying \u201cwhy,  <\/span>Matt, we have lots of amaryllis growing in
\nour gardens, and some even form large clumps,. They aren\u2019t that tough to grow.\u201d\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTrue, but those old types ( often referred to as \u201cMead
\ntypes\u201d the ones you are most likely talking about) are forms developed by a
\nDr. Mead decades ago in Florida. These old varieties are more likely to come
\n\u2018true from seed\u2019 , but they are nothing like the large Dutch varieties which
\nmost people want in their homes during the Holidays. Oh, and if you have seeds
\nof these, please share. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nDiseases<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThere is one more reason why I don\u2019t recommend saving your
\nbulbs, and this is a serious one. Amaryllis are highly prone to Virus\u2019 and fungus will get them if your
\naggressive watering talents don\u2019t.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nMost, if not all commercial amaryllis bulbs carry a mosaic
\nvirus and a nasty fungus called \u2018Red Blotch\u201d (Stagonospora curtissi). There is
\nalmost no avoiding it, eventually. You may even have seen this disease already,
\nbut thought that it was some weird scratchy scar on a stem \u2013 it\u2019s rather
\nharmless if you are disposing of the plant, but it will most certainly
\ninterfere with any dormant flower buds for next year, as the fungus is spread
\nthroughout the bulb scales and foliage. It is for this single reason, that I
\ndispose of most of my bulbs every year after they bloom.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThese diseases can cause stems to curl, split or sometime
\neven to fold over under their own weight and break. Those red scabs are so common
\non amaryllis, that growers call it damn \u2018Red blotch\u201d . It is the bain of all
\ncommercial houses who breed and grow amaryllis, and staff must wear protective
\nclothing, booties, hose-downs and all bulbs are dipped in fungicide annually.
\nThe fungus,  <\/span>called Stagonospora
\ncurtisii is omnipresent in the clan \u2013 harmless to us, but sadly, it\u2019s the AIDS
\nin the world of amaryllis.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIf you are serious about growing-on your amaryllis, here is
\nthe ugly part \u2013 you would need to drench your bulbs in fungicide too but who wants to do that. A one  <\/span>half hour soak is required, as the
\nchemical must be absorbed systemically, and not any fungicide will do, you must
\nuse a fungicide called Benlate™ according to amaryllis growers in the Netherlands ( Benlate is no longer sold it the US)  <\/span>( and one cannot  use Captan as it does not work as well as Benlate). What ever this all means, I would advise that one handle bulbs carefully and wash ones hands as surely wholesale growers have used some sort of fungicide.  Don\u2019t assume that your bulbs are clean,
\nfor most bulbs already have been exposed to Stagonospora  and a dip in some fungicide most likely has occured.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>I know, not
\neasy for most people to do, but the science doesn\u2019t lie when it comes to
\nfloriculture. Anyone who tells you to not worry about fungus and virus\u2019 when it
\ncomes to amaryllis growing clearly has not grown amaryllis for profit.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nSizes of amaryllis from major retailers:<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\nJust a few retail sites and their bulb sizes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nWooden Shoe Bulb Farm 
\n<\/span>30-32 cm <\/div>\n
\nHolland Bulb farms (limited selection) 30-32 cm  <\/span>$20.97<\/div>\n
\nAmaryllis Bulb Company 30-32 cm  <\/span>$18.00<\/div>\n
\nWhite Flower Farm 40 cm + $35 -$45<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems everywhere we look today, there are amaryllis. On those hip lifestyle blogs “white Amaryllis for Christmas”, on Pinterest ( you know, “how…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL - Growing With Plants<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL - Growing With Plants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It seems everywhere we look today, there are amaryllis. On those hip lifestyle blogs “white Amaryllis for Christmas”, on Pinterest ( you know, “how...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Growing With Plants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/matt.mattus.7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-11-18T08:20:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-08-13T21:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"482\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matt Mattus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matt Mattus\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Matt Mattus\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/785c3fc728469f03242c77ea5cdec92a\"},\"headline\":\"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-11-18T08:20:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-08-13T21:57:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\"},\"wordCount\":2663,\"commentCount\":17,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\",\"name\":\"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL - Growing With Plants\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-11-18T08:20:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-08-13T21:57:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1\",\"width\":650,\"height\":482},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/\",\"name\":\"Growing With Plants\",\"description\":\"Horticulturist Matt Mattus shares gardening expertise, research and science from his home garden and greenhouse.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Growing With Plants\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cropped-250-logo.png?fit=302%2C120&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cropped-250-logo.png?fit=302%2C120&ssl=1\",\"width\":302,\"height\":120,\"caption\":\"Growing With Plants\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/matt.mattus.7\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/matt_mattus\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCkLo0i99xbBeQaysV6Lo-DA\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/785c3fc728469f03242c77ea5cdec92a\",\"name\":\"Matt Mattus\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Matt Mattus\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/author\/12304130532778622628\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL - Growing With Plants","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL - Growing With Plants","og_description":"It seems everywhere we look today, there are amaryllis. On those hip lifestyle blogs “white Amaryllis for Christmas”, on Pinterest ( you know, “how...","og_url":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/","og_site_name":"Growing With Plants","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/matt.mattus.7","article_published_time":"2013-11-18T08:20:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-08-13T21:57:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":650,"height":482,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Matt Mattus","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Matt Mattus","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/"},"author":{"name":"Matt Mattus","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/785c3fc728469f03242c77ea5cdec92a"},"headline":"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL","datePublished":"2013-11-18T08:20:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-08-13T21:57:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/"},"wordCount":2663,"commentCount":17,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/","url":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/","name":"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL - Growing With Plants","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1","datePublished":"2013-11-18T08:20:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-08-13T21:57:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1","width":650,"height":482},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/11\/amaryllis-confidential\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"AMARYLLIS CONFIDENTIAL"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/","name":"Growing With Plants","description":"Horticulturist Matt Mattus shares gardening expertise, research and science from his home garden and greenhouse.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#organization","name":"Growing With Plants","url":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cropped-250-logo.png?fit=302%2C120&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cropped-250-logo.png?fit=302%2C120&ssl=1","width":302,"height":120,"caption":"Growing With Plants"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/matt.mattus.7","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/matt_mattus\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCkLo0i99xbBeQaysV6Lo-DA"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/785c3fc728469f03242c77ea5cdec92a","name":"Matt Mattus","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Matt Mattus"},"url":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/author\/12304130532778622628\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gardern.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/amaryllis6.png?fit=650%2C482&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5132,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5125\/revisions\/5132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}