When I potted up an Amaryllis ‘Temptation’ bulb in 2012, I called it the “ornery amaryllis bulb” because it sat like a dud for 2 months without any sign of growth. I was starting to wonder if it was dead.
‘Temptation’ grows 18-24 inches tall with white flowers brushed with red. When it finally bloomed in early 2013 it topped out at 18 inches, which doesn’t surprise me since all my amaryllis bulbs stay at or below the low end of their advertised height.
I gave that bulb away when it was done blooming, but this year I decided to try ‘Temptation’ again. This time it was one of the first bulbs to start growing, and this week the flowers opened on a 27-inch-tall scape:
There are 6 flowers blooming right now, and another scape is just starting to emerge from the top of the bulb.
Some amaryllis bulbs behave like sunflowers and lean toward the sun when they’re sitting in a window, so it’s wise to rotate them daily to keep them straight. Otherwise you might hear a crash as the pot gets so off balance that it tips over and dumps the whole plant onto the floor (not that I’ve had that experience, or anything). I rotate all my amaryllis bulbs daily, but ‘Temptation’ doesn’t really need it. It’s always standing as straight as an arrow.
‘Temptation’ makes a lovely partner with dark-red amaryllis cultivars like ‘Red Pearl’:
1 comment
Hi Em,
If you’re planning on putting “Temptation” and “Red Pearl” in the trash when they finish blooming, you can put them in my “trash” bin!! These are beautiful amaryllis–more beautiful than the ones I had this year. Happy New Year!!
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