The Perfect Christmas Gift

Dear readers,

It is me again, Vlad, the person at Fluwel who is simply madly in love with Amaryllis (Hippeastrum). I know, I know, I sound like a broken machine by now, but hey, I can never say no to the wonderful and ever popular Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) flower bulb. It is simply the best, especially during the colder months of the year and even more, for those living in an apartment.

Easy to take care of, available in well over 200 different commercial varieties, Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) can impress literally anyone, even the person least interested in plants. I mean, just show them the bright colors, the flower shapes, the vigor it grows with and I guarantee you, anyone will say “I like it!”. 

This year we offer the biggest Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) collection we ever had, with well over 100 different varieties. Since we want to grow in this segment, this is our first attempt to offer you even more beauty during the winter months. On this note, we want to thank everyone who has placed their Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) orders already. We are working at a high tempo, to send every current order by November 15th! Please bear with us a little longer.

As the Holidays Season approaches fast, the Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is literally the perfect gift for anyone: your mother, your best friend, your neighbor, teacher or work colleague. Trust me, we have a variety for any taste. Here are few recommendations: This is ‘Blossom Grandise’ and I already know what you will say “Isn’t this Apple Blossom?”. Well, no, it is not. Just imagine ‘Apple Blossom’ on steroids, the flowers are literally huge, sometimes more than 25 cm across. I like her because she reminds me of the first warm days in spring, when everything is alive again and the birds are singing. She is the perfect gift for anyone loving big and I mean, really big flowers. Talking about ‘Apple Blossom’ and her look-alikes, this is ‘Blossom Nymph’, one of the newest hybrids from the Nymph series. With really big blooms on rather short but very sturdy stems, I like her for the clear venation color pattern, and her less perfectly round face. You want to get this one for those loving double flowers in a soft, pastel color. Talking about the doubles, this is ‘Marilyn’, one of the best double whites in my humble opinion. She is grand, majestic and has even a pronounced green tinge in certain light conditions. While flowers in green hues are not for everyone, I think she impresses with how long her flowers last, her wild shape and especially the very floriferous characteristics. Marilyn is perfect for those who love an abundance of flowers, or in other words, a true flower power. This is ‘Pinkolo’ and while it might not be your first choice in the pink palette, she never fails to impress. She was selected amongst a couple of dozen sister clones for her clean white stripe along the petals, the trumpet shape and her height. She is never too tall, most plants reaching 30 cm only. Pinkolo reminds me of candy cane, the pink version. My favorite aspect about her is the number of stems and flowers per stem each bulb produces: usually at least 3, but often 4 stems, each with 6 or more blooms per stem. She is the perfect gift for someone looking for smaller hybrids. It wouldn’t be Christmas without red flowers, right? This is ‘Orient’, which is a super dark red, in a rich and warm tone. She doesn’t grow very tall and her stems are very thick, but her color is out of this world. At times, in certain light conditions, you can almost see some brown hues in her, unlike many other dark reds that have rather blue hues. Orient is the perfect gift for anyone loving the dark flowers with an extra kick. And last, but not least recommendation from today’s newsletter is ‘Opal Star’, with her medium size blooms, that can have various color saturations. At times, ‘Opal Star’ is quite pale, with just a hint of pink, while the next bloom can have deep cherise hues. I like Opal star for how floriferous she is and how trouble free she grows, very often blooming 2, if not 3 times a year. She is the perfect gift for those who love fast growing flower bulbs, usually in bloom in just 4 weeks after planting.

Being so madly in love with Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) has become a part of my life, like breakfast, lunch or dinner are. I live and breathe this plant all the time, no matter my mood, time of the year or if I am tired vs full of energy. It’s like water all together. Because of this (and partly because of my dedication and determination), I had the chance and privilege to grow so many different hybrids, that today it is very easy for me to identify, with one glance, almost any possible hybrid. And when I tell you that there is a hybrid for anyone in this world, trust me, indeed there is. Small or big, double or not, early or late blooming, we have it all and I am so very grateful to be part of this story, to be able to offer you this much needed beauty, especially in the following gray months to come.

On this note, and with the recommendations above, if you need any further recommendations on Amaryllis (Hippeastrum, make sure to drop us an email at info@fluwel.nl and I will do my best to give you a personalized recommendation, whatever your needs are. With the assortment we have this year, we can make any Santa wish come true.

Now I am thinking, shall I continue? I feel like I could never stop talking about this beautiful plant, but hey, it is time to go back to the Strategy 2025 topic, which I am very keen on these days. I do love writing these Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) stories for you all, so I might drop another one before the year ends.

Warm regards from North Holland,

Your Vlad Hempel

P.S. This is how my pot with Scilla madeirensis looks like just 4 weeks after planting. Very impressive, eh? How is yours doing? Please share your thoughts with us via email or Social Media. Next year we plan to bring more stock in our store and offer other, amazingly beautiful Scillas.