In a Vase on Monday: Herkules

Despite a dusting of snow and the cold temperatures (-10°C when I got up this morning!) I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her weekly meme. As you can imagine, there is nothing flowering outside now, but I do have a beautiful Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) indoors. Technically, it is not ‘In a Vase’, but since Cathy herself cheated a little bit this week, I am sure she will forgive me! 😉

This is Herkules, one of two I have planted this winter.

In these photos it is standing on the floor in front of my Christmas Tree, with the ‘skirt’ I crocheted to cover the base. 😃

I love this colour – a pale coral red, festive and cheerful.

The other one I planted at the same time (‘Red Peacock’) is showing no signs of life yet. Timing them seems to be impossible!

If you are in Northern Europe I hope you are staying warm and cosy. Have a great week!

 

 

In a Vase on Monday: What’s in a Name?

As Juliet so famously declared in Shakespeare’s well-known play:

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet…”

Yes, we all (well, most of us) call our Amaryllis by the wrong name. Strictly speaking the bulbs we in cooler climates grow indoors in winter are Hippeastrums; the South American lily. And not Amaryllis, which is the African belladonna lily.

Hippeastrum hybrid “dunkelrot”

But I don’t think we should care too much about this error. As Celia Fisher writes in ‘The Golden Age of Flowers’,

‘When European hybrids were developed the original confusion about provenance intensified, while ordinary plant lovers blithely regard them all as amaryllis.’

Monday 11am, -9°C

I consider myself an ‘ordinary plant lover’. How about you?

😉

Thank you to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this lovely meme. Why not visit her to see what others are finding for their Monday vases/flower arrangements this week.