Amaryllis and Christmas Bird Census
The Amaryllidaceae family contains two genera of very colorful flowers that we all know. One is the genus Narcissus which includes the poet’s narcissus, daffodils and jonquils. The second genus is Amaryllis that includes the belladonna lily and amaryllis. All are native to South America and South Africa.
Most amaryllis that are grown today are fertile hybrids of native varieties. Their lily-like bell shaped flowers are red, pink, white, and combinations of these colors. In their native lands, they are grown in open fields or in beds or borders around homes or in parks.
The bulbs make excellent presents at Christmastime. By following directions included with the dry bulbs, most will begin to flower in early February. The bulb as it arrives from the grower should be watered sparingly after the first watering until the leaf tips and the flowering stalk appear. Then it should be watered regularly keeping the soil moist but never soggy.
As your amaryllis begins to grow, use a liquid fertilizer about every two weeks. For maximum growth, the plant needs as much light as possible and a temperature of at least 55 – 60 degrees
Once the one or more flower stalks arise from the bulb, the stalk may grow one inch per day and reach a height of 2-3 feet. Usually each stalk will have four beautiful flowers that may be 6 inches broad.
After it has finished blooming, which depends on when the bulb was started, the flower stalk should be cut off. Less water is now required and the plant can be kept in a cool but sunny location. As weather becomes warmer, application of a liquid fertilizer should be started again. The pot may be set outside in May and the plant carefully removed from the pot and planted in full sun in the garden. Care should be taken not to damage the roots. Alternately, the plant in its pot can be set into the soil.
In the fall, gradually withhold water from the mature plant; remove the bulbs from the ground before frost and places in boxes of soil for the bulbs to ripen. If the bulbs were left in the original pot, water can be withheld and the bulbs can stay in the original pot to ripen. In both cases water should be withheld.
At Christmastime all old foliage, dried scales and all dried roots are carefully removed, but do not injure any new root growth. The plant should be repotted in a mixture of 3 parts rich loam, one part leaf mold mixed with some sand, bone meal, and one part well rotted cow manure. The bulb is set one-third of its height into the soil, and begin watering as before. Good luck.
Although I have not tried it, hybridization is said to be an easy procedure, and from seed to flower around 18 months are required. I have directions if anyone is interested.
Another thing that I enjoy during the winter months in addition to growing poinsettia and amaryllis is watching the birds at our feeders and elsewhere. Very simple things can give the greatest of pleasures. This fall from our back windows, we have seen crows, geese, ducks, hawks, doves, bluejays, starlings, cardinals, red-bellied, hairy, and downy woodpeckers. Gold finches, house finches, chickadees, white and redbreasted nuthatches, a Carolina wren, titmice, house sparrows, juncos, white-throated and white crowned sparrows also frequent our feeders.
Last Saturday, for the annual Christmas bird census, Dave Fodor, Randy Halen, and I were assigned to do a census of the birds in the Tiffin city limits. Although it was rainy, windy, and cold, we saw several hundred birds. The total accounting for the entire area will be reported at a later time.
We saw a robin near the water pollution control center, 65 rock doves (pigeons) near the fair grounds, about 300 starlings, over 100 mallards and numerous geese. At Hedges-Boyer the highlight for the day was six bluebirds. In another memorable sighting we saw 20 gold finches at feeders at 122 Longfellow Drive.
This past Tuesday, I went to 122 Longfellow Drive and received a warm reception from Kenneth and Geraldine Lidster. Ken (a World War II vet.) related how he had received a thistle feeder as a present about five years ago. It became so crowded that he soon bought a second and now has four thistle-finch feeders. The four feeders hang on arms of a wrought iron post.
The Lidsters now feed a ten pound bag of thistle seed every 2 – 3 weeks in the winter time. It is something to see this many goldfinches in their yellow-olive winter plumage at one time.
Mary and I wish you all a most joyous Christmas and a happy New Year. We invite you to call (447-2896) or write us about anything that you think might be interesting to our readers. We are taking two weeks off, but we will be home at 110 Mohawk Street most of that time.
– Percy