Seductive Striped Barbados Lily

I went out this morning into my garden and after a few days of blistering heat, found most of my plants looking tired and sad. And then I spotted her “The Striped Barbados Lily”. She was a little smaller than usual but oh so pretty and cheerful! My mood lifted immediately and I decided that she deserves a post all to herself.

Although many would call her Amaryllis, she is actually a completely different genus and species. The true Amaryllis is only the Amaryllis Belladonna. The others(often called Amaryllis) are actually Hippeastrum and have about 90 species and 600 cultivars in the genus. She blooms well in warm weather and even in 40 degrees centigrade in the shade. So would do best in US hardiness zones 11-13. She will give you quite a few blooms in the Gulf except perhaps in December and January when she goes dormant.

Fertilize well but water sparingly as they like moist but well-draining soil. Overwatering will lead to rotting bulbs. They love the sun here in Spring and in the September-November timeframe. I use cow and rabbit manure and it works very well for these as they are more gentle fertilizers than chemical ones. But they do take longer to show results. The Lily can be propagated by separating the bulbs or even with seeds though you need to wait for two years before a seed-grown plant will flower. They come in both single and multi petal varieties and in many colors.

I also have just procured the true Amaryllis bulb- The Amaryllis Belladonna and will update you once it blooms. Enjoy your lilies!