Amaryllis blooms from seed to stalk – #FloweringFriday

Amaryllis vittatum - Wall Flower Studio 2016

Amaryllis ‘vittata’

Amaryllis in bloom Jan 2016 Wall Flower Studio - Karen Sloan

Amaryllis vittata – I pollinate these flowers by hand, lightly dusting the pollen from the anther of one flower on to the stigma of another.  I  look forward to harvesting the seeds every year and growing new plants!

Amaryllis Seed Pod opened wfs (1)

Seed pod pops open by itself.

floating Amaryllis seeds for viability - Wall Flower Studio

Floating amaryllis seeds in water can help to tell which ones are viable. I’ve found it easy to tell, just by how plump each one is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was 6 years before seeds I planted actually flowered. Admittedly, there is nothing more thrilling than to see that stalk emerge from a bulb you’ve grown from seed. Patience is likely the biggest ingredient!

Happy Flowering Friday!

 

The Autumn Garden winds down for the season – Flowering Friday

perennial mums from the autumn garden - WFSThese lovely, and very hardy perennial mums have lasted over 3 weeks as cut flowers.

I pinched them from the garden just before we had our first heavy frost. 

They’re on their last legs now, but it sure was nice to have an autumn bouquet greet me at the front door each evening as I arrived home from the shop.

October front garden perennials

As November approaches, frost is another sure sign that winter is knocking on the door.

Happy Flowering Friday!