Amna Amaryllis In Her Bright Red Dress

Most years at Christmastime, we deck our halls with poinsettias — red ones wrapped in green with big red bows.  They are a festive addition to the holiday season — never mind that they are a little cranky and don’t always seem to enjoy the festivities for as long as we’d like.

This year we downsized to one poinsettia instead of four, and added what looks to be a new tradition — an amaryllis!   I had been given one years ago and remembered what fun it was to watch it change day-by-day.  This one has not disappointed.  She came to us with two fairly tall stalks which were budding out at the top but had not yet “cracked.”   The florist said that it would be a week or so and then at least another week of full blossoms, taking us right through Christmas.

Amanda’s Four Beautiful Blossoms (so far!)

Not two days after Amanda (that’s what she said to call her) arrived, our friends the Schleefs brought us a second amaryllis — Amna!   Unlike Amanda, she was not in a clay pot, nor was she wrapped in colorful paper and ribbons.  But, she was “wrapped” in a thick casing of bright red wax.  According to the instructions, she needs to be kept in a well-lit room and rotated every couple of days so she will grow straight.  There is no watering or other attention that she needs — all her nutrients are within her bulb which is tightly enclosed within her red wax dress!  (Maybe this is where I should say that Amaryllis is also known as “naked lady” because it produces flowers before leaves on the “naked”, leafless flowering stalks.)

Traditional Poinsettia

Wow!  Two gorgeous plants that are changing before our eyes each and every day!  To me they seem to be the living symbols of anticipation and hope.  And, as a bonus, after Amanda and Amna have bloomed, we can store the bulbs and plant them in the garden or repot them for next Christmas!   As in, “hope springs eternal” and right here, right now!  We are truly blessed.