Fascinating Cybister and Exotic Amaryllis

Amaryllis bulbs (Hippeastrum) are flowers of choice to take the gray chill out of winter with their audacious, sexy tropical-looking blossoms in the dead of winter! Incredibly easy to plant, nearly foolproof to grow, they provide weeks and even months of bloom indoors as potted plants or cut flowers. What more could you want?

• There are 5 main types of Amaryllis including large flowering, double flowering, small flowering, trumpet-shaped and cybister Amaryllis.
• More and more popular, the Cybister Amaryllis are truly spectacular with their exotic, orchid-like flowers. They feature long, ribbon-like, spidery petals and splashes of bright color such as deep reds, soft green, copper, dark pink, creamy white and burgundy. They are unlike any other Amaryllis group and their cultivars belong to the Spider group. They have been developed in the 60-70s from Hippeastrum cybister which is native to South America.
• Each bulb usually produces 2 stems and 4-6 flowers per stem. However large bulbs can produce up to 3-4 stems and 5-8 flowers per stem. The bulb size and the cultivar are factors determining the number of flower stems that will develop. The bigger the bulb, the more chance it will produce more flower stems with several flowers to a stem.
• Their leaves are almost evergreen on some of the varieties.
• Depending on temperature, they bloom 8-10 weeks after planting. Since the flowers do not bloom simultaneously, the overall flowering period lasts a fairly long time.
• Hardy to USDA zones 8-11, Amaryllis bulbs may be planted outdoors (deep South only). They will bloom in late spring – early summer and may be used in rock gardens or in garden beds amongst groundcovers or perennials
• The nice thing about forcing Amaryllis bulbs into flower in the home is that it is so simple to do. What’s more, once the bulbs have flowered, they can be stored and brought into flower again.