The Amaryllis: the perfect Christmas gift

Dear all,

About a month ago I told you in detail why I am an honorary member of the Amaryllis fan club. There are so many reasons to be a fan of this plant: it is beautiful, strong, and can take a beating, and there are so many colors and shapes that there must be something for everyone. Because Advent begins today, and I have many good (childhood) memories of it, I would like to review a few recommendations. You can give the Amaryllis as a gift to anyone: a colleague, a family member, the owner of your favorite snack bar, or just a friend.

Although there are endless types of Amaryllises, I always find red ones the most suitable for Christmas. The really dark red ones are the most beautiful in my opinion: certainly those that also have enormous flowers to really let the colour come into its own. That is why Grand Diva is number 1 for me: not the darkest red in the range, but she absolutely steals the show. The name suits her perfectly: she has the air of a diva who is having the time of her life at a fancy ball. Another excellent choice in this category is of course Premiere. This is a somewhat older variety, whose flowers are perfectly symmetrical and which has a somewhat darker colour than Grand Diva.

If you want to go for the deepest colour, and really want to see the sense of mystery in an Amaryllis, then Mandela is also a good choice. As a red cybister Amaryllis, Red Amazone is also beautiful; a double red recommendation is Velvet Nymph, which has been given the perfect name: it really looks like the flowers are made of velvet. I planted Red Cream myself yesterday, this time to give to my sister. She loves large Amaryllises, and then this one is perfect: the flowers can have a diameter of up to 25 centimetres.

We’ve talked a lot about Christmas, but of course there are more holidays. Red looks great with any Christmas tree, but the white Amaryllis is a beautiful addition to any type of winter decoration. Of all these varieties, Moscow is my favorite flower. It also has beautiful, symmetrical flowers. But, no matter how pure the color is, white Amaryllises can also be a bit wilder: White Cream for example. It looks a bit like a ballerina from The Nutcracker, and that makes it perfect as a cut flower: long, sturdy stems, with multiple flowers per stem. They can stay beautiful in a vase for days.

Now, on to double white: here too I fall for symmetry, as you can see in White Amadeus. She almost looks like a lotus. Polar Belle is a great option if you still want to go for a little, colorful touch: here there is a little bit of pink, which makes her almost blush.

Perhaps you have acquaintances who are already true Amaryllis lovers, and you think that you will not be able to surprise them. Then Cleopatra is a good card to draw: it is new in our assortment this year, and even people who have been flower enthusiasts for a while may not have had this species themselves. I think this species is great myself, and I wish there were more H. papilio hybrids on the market.

Now that we are talking about new additions to the range, I would also like to give Balance the spotlight it deserves. Balance has an intriguing colour pattern, a bit like an ice cream with a strawberry swirl in it. It looks summery for a red Amaryllis, which normally gives a real winter feeling. Apart from that unique feature, Balance is also just an Amaryllis that does well: a bit like Aphrodite. You can just count on it.

Okay, this was a newsletter full of recommendations. That's really my thing: I've known the Amaryllis for so long and have been actively involved with it since I was so young that I'd love to send everyone a perfect recommendation based on just a picture of their holiday decorations, or something like that. I feel a bit like someone in a bookstore who you tell what your favorite book is, and then they recommend something you also love and that you would never have thought of yourself. If you really can't figure it out, you can always email me questions. I'll be happy to help you choose!

As I said, Advent is a time that I have many memories of and that we always spent a lot of time on at home. Putting up the Christmas tree, baking cookies, wrapping presents for those around me: I really come from a Christmas family. But there are so many holidays that happen this time of year, and many of them involve getting together and giving presents, so I hope I’ve given you some inspiration. Please let us know how you celebrate the holidays and what your home looks like! We always love seeing pictures of the Amaryllises in everyone’s holiday decor, so feel free to share them with us via email, Instagram tags, or Facebook.

Kind regards,

Vlad

Did you know that for many people it is not too late to plant spring flowers? As long as the ground is not frozen you can still get started. I myself often only start planting late, sometimes I postpone it until mid-December. Time always flies at the end of the year, and then you look around and December has started, you know how it is. Anyway, the bulbs that I plant late always do well. Apart from the Amaryllis I am very fond of Daffodils. Here too I always go for the varieties with the largest flowers: Over the Top for example, which is really over the top. Wisley is also a beautiful variety. To finish the list I would also like to mention Spinner: it reminds me a bit of a Dutch grain mill, but maybe that is because I have just started working in the Netherlands and see typical “Dutch” things everywhere.