I’ve never grown Amaryllis before, they seemed pretty enough, but they never really grabbed me the way other bulbs like Iris or Hyacinth grabbed me. That is, until I saw a short article in Organic Gardening Magazine about Cybister Amaryllis. WOW! Have you seen these Amaryllis before?
Cybister look like the black sheep, punk rocker of the Amaryllis family. They’re definitely not your grandma’s Amaryllis! The plant pictured above is called ‘Chico,’ but also be on the look out for ‘La Paz,’ ‘Emerald,’ ‘Lima,’ and ‘Ruby Meyer.’ Lima in particular is stunning. The top three petals are a deep mauve edged in cream, while the bottom three petals have mauve throats and cream tips.
According to FloriData, Amaryllis need bright indirect light and well-drained soil. And Martha says to plant the bulb with the top third to quarter above the soil line in a pot only a little bigger than the bulb. Apparently if the bulb is well taken care of, it will rebloom multiple times (if you dead head) and can be stored and replanted next year. Considering that the going rate appears to be ablout $12-$15/bulb for the cybister varieties, it’s good to know that the bulbs can be saved!
