Sunday bloomer

One of the traditions my mother started quite a number of years ago was to give each of her children and older grandchildren (those with their own home or apartment) an amaryllis for Christmas. These came with a pot and potting soil - just add some water and watch them bloom, usually within 6 - 8 weeks.

Since this was to be our first winter in Florida, we naturally brought our bulb with us, and I promptly planted it outdoors. Within a couple of days, the stem that had started to sprout in the box had straightened, and yesterday the bulb started to open. Given that its natural habitat is also sub-tropical, I foresee a trip to the nursery soon to get more of these beauties.

(ps - our visitors are exploring the area on their own today, so I have some time to post, respond to comments, and perhaps make some blog visits)

(70-200mm  f10  1/160 sec  ISO200)

click on photos to enlarge

I like to join in Scott's Sunday Sunset theme by posting a sunset shot. For today's contribution, I'm posting this 'pelican at sunset' shot:

To see Scott's Sunset Sunday shot, have a look here.

(Day 52) All things must pass away ...

Remember the beautiful blooms that the amaryllis gave us just a few weeks ago ? (see posts on day 22 and 24). How quickly life passes - what was young and strong and beautiful just a short while ago soon becomes old and weak and no longer attractive. Take hold of those things that matter most in life - family, friends, relationships, Him.


(60mm  f3.5  4 sec  ISO800)

(Day 24) Consider the lilies of the field (II) ...

"Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these ...".

The amaryllis has rewarded us with four amazing blooms. I had to take advantage of the moment because all too soon they too will wither and be consigned to the compost heap.

(Day 22) Consider the lilies of the field ...

... or the amaryllis in the house. I didn't think I'd be back quite so soon posting the amaryllis blooms but there are 2 glorious blooms out in full and 2 more about to burst open. What a beautiful creation.

(Day 20) Update #3 on amaryllis

It would be interesting to do time lapse photography on the amaryllis. From its beginnings out of the box on Dec. 21, and an update on Jan. 8, it has been rapidly progressing to its goal of putting on a dazzling display. There are 4 flower buds, with the largest looking to open any day. As soon as that occurs I will post the resulting bloom(s). What an incredible piece of work - what human hands can replicate this ?

(Day 8) Progress report on amaryllis

It's almost been 3 weeks since we planted the amaryllis (see 'New Life' post on Dec. 21, 2009) so I thought I'd provide a photo of its progress. The flower stem is now approx. 20cm (8") tall and some redness can be seen in the flower bud. The leaves have turned from a pale yellow to light green, and had to be staked when I found them leaning over at a sharp angle (the cat is a likely suspect). We're still looking forward to a showy display when the flower(s) open.

New Life

It's hard to imagine anything beginning to grow at this frigid time of year - outdoors at least. However, we just received an amaryllis (early Christmas gift) which had already started to sprout leaves, even within the dark confines of the box it came in. Duly planted, we anticipate a showy reward in about 8 weeks.