Did you ever have a good look at the petals of the amaryllis? They look like beautiful silk velvet. In terms of colours, they come in bright red, white, purple, yellow, pink, salmon, orange and bicolour. There are usually four to six impressive flowers on the stem. We spoke with Edwin Vellekoop of Amaranthos Flowers Westland about what is so special about growing the amaryllis and why the amaryllis is a flower for almost every season.
Amaranthos flowers Westland
With an unprecedented range of over 130 varieties that all excel in colour and shape, Amaranthos Flowers Westland really has it all. “Growing the Amaryllis is really in my blood. Within the family, this beautiful flower has been cultivated since the 1960s. Amaryllises are a beautiful flower that loves heat and, unlike many other bulbous plants, are grown exclusively in greenhouses,” says Edwin Vellekoop.
Cultivating the Amaryllis
Full of passion, Edwin tells us all about the cultivation of the Amaryllis. It is a perennial crop that is grown for an average of three years. Every year in January, we change one third of the crop in the company. This means that the bulbs are lifted, sorted and the old roots are removed. After a drying period of three weeks they are planted out again in disinfected beds. So all the old bulbs are always re-used, unless they are diseased or new varieties come onto the market so that the old varieties are exchanged’.
After flowering, at the end of January, the bulbs need to regain energy in the form of light and warmth for the new season. The bulbs grow best at a temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius. The heat needed for the bulbs is obtained as much as possible from a nearby tomato grower, who does not need to destroy his surplus heat. “We help each other out a little, this way we don’t have to burn any extra gas. Then it’s time for the cooling period – which takes place in summer. The cultivation beds are cleaned during this period. After this, the bulbs are planted again and the first stems slowly come out. This completes the circle and we can look forward to a new flowering season,’ says Edwin .
Surprising every season
Sometimes the Amaryllis is seen as a true Christmas flower, but did you know that this showstopper is also very popular in autumn? Besides the familiar red colours, there are also beautiful warm autumn colours available. To highlight the versatility of the amaryllis range, we are introducing a surprising mixbox this week. This mixbox is filled with five times three different varieties. Perfect for creating the most beautiful autumn and winter bouquets.
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