Revisiting the amaryllis

White amaryllis in February

Back on February 12 I posted about a white amaryllis. I said I wanted to propagate it, but it is a long process. Some weeks later (what a terrible scientist I am; I didn’t document the date) I took a Q-tip and spread the pollen on the pistil.

Gradually the petals faded and fell. Here we are, almost three months later, and the seeds are ready for the reveal. They were nothing like what I expected. I thought they’d be bigger, heavier. I thought these flakes resembling raisins were just bloom residue, and that my experiment had failed.

The amaryllis yesterday before breaking off the seeds

As they were blowing away on the porch, my science-teacher husband picked one up, crumbled the brittle flake, and showed me the inner seed. Duh. If I were stranded alone on a dessert island I think I’d be crab food in two weeks flat.

The seeds, which were blowing in the wind

Only two of the bloom centers “took” the fertilization; they’re the bigger black ones in the photo above the one of Don's hand.

When I plant the seeds, the books tell me it will take 2-3 years to grow bulbs.

You can see the tan seed among the black detritus

Want to read about a different Mary Magdalene adventure in Paris? Go here.