Buying Hippeastrum Hybrids -- The Holiday Amaryllis

Hippeastrum 'Exotic Star'

It's the time of year where Hippeastrum, or improperly called 'Amaryllis', are sold for the Holidays!  There are many hybrids to choose from and even a few species distributed as hybrids, Hippeastrum papilio and Hippeastrum 'Chico' cybister are both selections of species sold in the dry, forced bulb market.  Most Hippeastrum bulbs are sold with the intent to be throw away plants, many people think these bulbs bloom one time and the show is over, this is far from the truth.  Hippeastrum can be brought fto bloom in many years to come with minimal care.

Important Issues For Buying Hippeastrum

1. If buying from an online source make sure they're reputable, this is a great way to ensure you have a company that will ship healthy bulbs.  Sometimes buying cheap isn't necessarily better, many times a cheap bulb will result in disease and or physically damaged bulbs (but not always).  There may be sales towards the end of the season, remember these bulbs will possibly have scapes growing but this is a good time to buy Hippeastrum as they'll be marked down usually 50% or more!  IF YOU GET A BULB IN BAD HEALTH YOU MUST LET THE RETAILER KNOW.  It isn't fair to the customer to spend a large amount of money to receive a bulb in bad health with large amounts of rot.  Remember, shipping during colder months can result in damaged bulbs, this isn't the retailers fault, you must know the risks of shipping tender bulbs in cold weather.
2. If you're buying bulbs where you can inspect them yourself you've got the upper hand, there are no shipping charges, you can pick your size and inspect for rot, disease, insects or bent or broken scapes.  A downside to buying Hippeastrum from big box stores are selection, usually they only stock the most universally known hybrids, 'Minerva', 'Red Lion' and 'Appleblossom' are common choices you'll find.  I've personally noted many of the hybrids offered in these "Big Box" stores as virus laden, they buy the cheapest bulbs from the distributors to ensure they'll make profit, many times this will prove to be harmful for the customer by selling plants with virus.  Many plant viruses are incurable.  For this reason I suggest buying your bulbs from local nurseries or plant specialty stores, this not only supports your local business but it supports these very rare plant nurseries that are close to extinction!  
3. It's important to make sure you USE POTS WITH DRAINAGE HOLES, many of the boxed bulb kits with pots and medium included are nothing you'll want to put your plants in.  Hippeastrum bulbs are incredibly prone to rot and a pot without drainage holes are not something you'd want to use when planting up your new, beautiful bulbs.  I would recommend using unglazed terracotta pots but plastic and glazed will work as well if they have drainage holes in the bottom.
4. Using the medium that most include in their boxed kits can result in water logged plants, these mixes of coconut coir are very slow draining and hold quite a bit of moisture.  As stated above, Hippeastrum bulbs are very prone to rot, once they've started rotting it's hard to stop the cycle, it includes lots of hard work and effort.  It's best to avoid these circumstances so that we can ensure health in out potted plants!  I would suggest a very fast draining mix, something like an orchid mix with a little perlite and humus would work well, just remember these plants need air for their roots and bulbs for healthy plants.

Hippeastrum 'Flamenco Queen'

Hopefully you don't find this information hard to take in, it's imperative to follow if you want healthy plants.  Continuing the bloom cycle requires good quality bulbs, pots and potting medium as well as successful growing the seasons before. It's also important to meet the growing requirements of Hippeastrum.  Hippeastrum need lots of sunlight, water and food. After they have bloomed put them in a bright window and water once the potting medium feels dry.  You can stick your finger into the medium about an inch down and if it feels consistently dry it's time for water.  I fertilize my bulbs at every watering, I use 1/4 the recommended dosage to get the best results.  You can grow Hippeastrum like any other houseplant, if you have a spot outside during spring and summer months I would suggest utilizing it for your Hippeastrum.  They cannot tolerate frost so make sure you keep them inside during the colder months.

Hopefully these tips can help you to grow your Hippeastrum for following seasons, remember it's very important to pick large and healthy bulbs, using pots with drainage holes and medium that drains quickly.  You should continue to grow your Hippeastrum like any other houseplants, they need lots of lighting, food and water (but not too much) and make sure you ENJOY THEM!

Hippeastrum papilio x brasilianum -- A Fragrant Semi-Trumpet Bloom

Hippeastrum papilio x brasilianum -- This is a wonderful cross of H. papilio and H. brasilianum that really shows the progeny of both species quite well!  There are between 3-4 blooms usually on each scape that are fragrant as a result of using H. brasilianum. The higher flower count is also inherited from it's father, H. brasilianum which usually carries four flowers per scape.  Hippeastrum papilio is much less giving with two flowers per scape, I have seen a wonderful clone that has a three flower count which is quite rare!  Hippeastrum papilio is vividly expressed in the bloom with many like characteristics such as the green cast on the tepals, the cranberry markings and overall coloring where as brasilianum adds a semi-trumpet shape to the bloom and creates some intriguing twists and turns with the tepals!

Hippeastrum papilio x brasilianum
F1 cross

Overall I think this bloom is a winner, it's a strong growing plant and fragrant as an added bonus (which isn't all too common in Hippeastrum), I will enjoy this bulb for quite some time!  The leaves are glaucous with a rounded tip, the bulb has an ovoid shape with a short neck with very tall scapes.  The bulb is self fertile, it would be great to see what the offspring may look like!

Hippeastrum ferreyrae -- An Endangered Peruvian Species

Hippeastrum ferreyrae is one of Peru's native endangered plants according to the 1997 IUCN's Red List, this may not be the case now as it has been fourteen years since being published.  While we all hope that H. ferreyrae has increased in population the likeliness of this is quite slim.  Thank goodness this plant is being grown by a few others and it is possible we have different clones to produce seed.  Of course I will try to self pollinate but the outcome of it producing seed with its own pollen isn't great as most Hippeastrum are not self fertile. 


Hippeastrum ferreyrae is native to Peruvian forests at around 150-200m in elevation and is also found in quite a few Peruvian gardens around the native area.  They bloom usually in September in the Southern Hemisphere and obviously my plant has yet to switch it's growing period to the Northern Hemisphere but it's quite nice to have something bloom when everything else is slowing down for the year!

Hippeastrum ferreyrae

 H. ferreyrae can bloom from incredibly small bulbs, the bulbs can grow to a substantial size and usually only have 2-3 flowers per scape.  The bulbs generally have short necks and leaf out following the blooming period.  The coloring of the flowers could almost be mistaken for a pink but they're a salmon color to almost a red with a luminescent overcast on the petals.  They flowers aren't large by any means but they're not small with the pollen being a nice golden yellow at anthesis.  It seems to be a prolific off setter as is it's very close relative Hippeastrum puniceum.