Question:
What are those enormous clusters of pink lilies with no leaves that I see blooming? Are they a new type of Lily of the Nile or Agapanthus?Answer:
- The pink flowering lilies are not Lily of the Nile or Agapanthus. There are no pink varieties of Agapanthus just blue and white.
- The pink lilies are a summer blooming Amaryllis called belladonna.
- They are also referred to as the Naked Ladies as they bloom without any leaves. Naked Ladies produce rosy pink fragrant flowers on two foot long stems in August.
- They have long strap-like leaves that dried up and disappear weeks before the red, flowering stems emerge from the ground. Amaryllis belladonna is a large bulb about two pounds that is drought tolerant, grows in any type of soil and requires very little care.
- You’ll find them at your favorite garden centers in the fall and winter months with the other spring and summer flowering bulbs.
Question:
I’ve successfully got an Avocado pit to germinate in water. I planted it outside in a sunny location after the stem reached six inches tall. It now looks very sad. What did I do wrong?Answer:
- Your Avocado plant is suffering from transplanting shock.
- Once they germinate, they need to be acclimated to the outdoors before being planted in a sunny location.
- This is a very young plant. Hence, it’s recommended to transplant transplanted into a six or eight-inch container and placed outdoors in the morning sun.
- After four to six weeks, it is then transplanted again into its permanent location. With that being said, I probably wouldn’t follow my advice at this time of the year. Instead, I’d leave it in the container until next spring to better protect it from the winter cold. I’d then plant it into the open ground anytime after St. Patrick’s Day, weather permitting.
- The Avocado seedling should mature into a large evergreen tree reaching a height of sixty feet with a widespread. So, give it lots of room.
- Also, Avocados started from a pit are unpredictable. They may or more likely not produce any edible fruit. This is also true with the pits from apricots, peaches, plums and the seed found in apples, oranges, pears, and other fruits.
- It will be years before it produces Avocados so be patient.