AMARYLLIS

A bold flower for cold nights

The beautiful amaryllis flower brings warmth and colour to brighten up dark evenings. It can be the star of the Christmas period, but it also does excellently in early spring. Invite this majestic winter queen into your home.

COLOURS AND SHAPES

Amaryllis is a large flower that comes in white, red, yellow, pink, salmon, purple, orange and bicoloured variations. Its petals are very unusual: they appear to be made of fabulous velvet. Each stem usually offers four to six impressive blooms. The amaryllis has no leaves, which is why, in the United States they sometimes call her the ‘Naked Lady’.

SYMBOLISM

Amaryllis symbolises pride and enchanting beauty, and the giving of this flower marks friendship and affection. It’s definitely a flower for winning hearts, either with a bouquet on the kitchen table or gifted as a big bunch.

ORIGIN

What we call amaryllis originates from South and Central America and the Caribbean, and is not actually an amaryllis in its proper, botanical sense. The true name of our beautiful amayrillis flower is Hippeastrum. It is part of the narcissi family and grows from a bulb. The word Hippeastrum comes from Greek and literally means ‘knight star’, referring to the star-shaped petals: hippeus means knight, and astron, star. 

CARING FOR AMARYLLISES

Enjoy this sparkling flower for even longer with these tips:

• Trim the stems diagonally.

• Select a sturdy glass vase.

• Make sure that the vase is nice and clean, fill it with water and use cut flower food for bulb flowers.

• Place the vase in a reasonably cool spot, not in a draught or next to the fruit bowl.

• Regularly top the vase up with tap water.