Recently I visited an Amaryllis grower for the first time with Eric Breed. Penning Freesia is a company in Het Westland that breeds Amaryllises and, as the name suggests, Freesias.

In Amaryllis breeding, Penning focuses on both the market for Amaryllis as a cut flower and the Amaryllis that is more suitable for pots in the living room. Around this time of year, Penning lets all his Amaryllises come into bloom to show to Amaryllis growers and traders.

It was really surprising to see what beautiful things we can expect in the coming years. The time that an Amaryllis only existed in 4 colours; red, white, pink and striped was long gone, but I never dared to dream that the colour spectrum would become so large.

In the photo above you can see the part of the greenhouse where we were not allowed to walk. Neatly cordoned off with a red and white ribbon, because this is where Penning is pollinating. Hundreds of species are blooming there as individuals or as small groups to be pollinated or to use the pollen. What a splendor of flowers.

Below are a few seedlings that have been selected to try out in cultivation. They are certainly not varieties that we know for sure will become available in the future, says Penning. The flower can be beautiful, but what is certainly just as important is what the Amaryllis shows under the ground. The bulb must grow well, multiply well and not show any diseases or ailments during cultivation.

We will find out in the coming years, but also very important is the opinion of the growers and the flower traders what they think of the flower. That is why we are already showing the new Amaryllises, because if the trade does not find it a beautiful flower for certain reasons, there is no point in continuing to try it out.



Amaryllis Lion King

Penning has already sold this last Amaryllis Lion King to a few growers. I have already been able to buy some bulbs for next fall.

I am curious how far this red Amaryllis will go because there are several beautiful red Amaryllises on the market. But Lion King has its cool name in any case and I think that its bright red color and its beautiful flower shape will appeal to many people.

Greetings from the bulb fields,
Carlos van der Veek