The Biggest Amaryllis Collection Ever!

Hello everyone,

It is finally that time of the year that we can open the much-anticipated Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) season: next Friday, on October 18th 2024! So please mark your calendars, because this time around, we have the biggest collection yet: 116 different varieties, many new, some older and long forgotten and of course, some very special, that have never been offered in Europe before!

For me personally, it is a true delight to open this collection for all our customers, since Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) has always been that one plant I truly love and always will. When I joined our Fluwel team last year, I kindly asked Carlos if I could be the curator for our Amaryllis collection and he said “Yes, of course!”, with a big smile on his face. Since then, I have dreamed and planned so many varieties for you all. Stay tuned, because this is only the beginning, there are so many other special varieties coming your way.

When I started writing this newsletter today, I asked myself “How can I involve my colleagues in this storytelling?”, so I went to everyone and asked, “What is your favorite Amaryllis from our collection this year?”, below you find their answers: Renata says she absolutely loves ‘Supreme Romance’, a dark velvet red, “just perfect for Christmas time”, she adds, and I subscribe to this. I mean, just look at it: the wings of the petals, the substance, the color depthness, a true beauty in the Hippeastrum world Paulina said her absolute love is ‘White Cream’, a super delightful white with a green heart and very big and whimsical blooms. She also said that this variety reminds her of home “just like Finland: big, white and very serene” and to be honest, I couldn’t agree more Another colleague said that ‘Gervase’ is his absolute favorite, because it reminds him of candy cane, which he absolutely adores at Christmas time. This variety has been on the market for some years now and it is a mutation of a red! Nature always has good surprises for us, eh? Adri recommends you all ‘Picotee’, because of its elegance and unique color margin: a clear bright red line on diamond white petals, with a pronounced green heart. A variety that has been very popular for years now and will probably never be replaced, it just performs so well! My personal favorite from this year’s collection is ‘Ruby Star’, an outstanding hybrid from Saad Asaaf Amaryllis, a nursery that has its own breeding program. This is one of their most beautiful hybrids: a wingy star in burgundy, with a splash of cream on the lower petals. Jacqueline’s favorite is ‘Candy Amadeus’ and she adds “it’s the little red on the white and the way the double flower is shaped” and frankly, indeed it is: one of the best doubles we offer for years and will keep offering it as long as it is in production Carlos, just like myself, loves the dark reds and says “If someone asks me for a nice Amaryllis I probably give them a Grand Diva”, which is a true beauty amongst the dark reds, very elegant and blooms for weeks long

Besides these favorites, we have added some old and long forgotten hybrids, like ‘Fairytale’, ‘Caramba’, ‘Dance Valley’, ‘Neon’, ‘Rilona’, ‘Rosalie’ and ‘Stargazer’ and although some are really from back in the day (‘Fairytale’ is from the 80’s for example), they deserve our attention so much more: growing robust and problem free, blooming year after year without issues.

If, however, you prefer the novelties, you can check them all together here. And in case you do not have that much space at home, you can always go for the Garden series: something that grows to around 30 cm tall only, gives numerous stems and grows rather in a clump.

As mentioned above, this is only the beginning. Based on your demand and what is available on the market, we will try to bring a more diverse Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) assortment than we did in the past, because that’s what brightens our day in the dull winter months. On this note, if you have any suggestions for Amaryllis varieties that we should offer, please write us an email info@fluwel.nl and we will try to make it happen. Also, if you need any help in selecting from the varieties that we offer, please let us know via email and I will do my best to give you some recommendations. Luckily, I have grown and seen hundreds of different varieties, from all over the world and when you see them in front of your eyes, it is such a different experience than looking at pictures. After all, Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is a true beauty and can impress even the pickiest gardener. And just because we want so, anyone ordering Amaryllis of at least 100 EUR value until November 1st 2024, will receive 3 different daffodil varieties as a gift. Afterall, the Narcissus is from the same family, Amaryllidaceae, and deserves as much attention as Amaryllis (Hippeastrum). Me in my own element, staring at a very dark Hippeastrum (Amaryllis), that will be soon registered and we will be able to offer you in the future!

This was it for today, some very busy days are behind us and some others are yet to come. We are so excited to share this joy with you, every day. Thank you for your time and I will get back to you soon.

Forever yours,

Vlad Hempel