Hippeastrum Amadeus Candy - Amaryllis

Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy' is a beautiful variety with double flowers. Its enormous corollas, delicately pointed with bright pink, open in clusters at the top of each flower stalk, creating a stunning visual effect. This plant emanates both strength and robustness through its growth and softness through its colour. It is a bulbous plant that is very easy to cultivate indoors, creating a dreamy decor for several weeks in winter.

Originally from subtropical regions of Central and South America, Hippeastrum are frost-sensitive plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, usually grown in pots in our latitudes. In full bloom, the 'Amadeus Candy' variety forms a clump measuring 50cm (20in) in height and 30cm (12in) in width. Each bulb will usually produce 2 flower stalks. The plant offers double flowers, measuring over 20cm (8in) in diameter, composed of numerous wide petals with a thick and waxy texture. They are mostly white, with tiny iridescent flakes, and brushed with bright pink at their tips. Positioned back-to-back at the top of long, thick, hollow stems, 4 to 5 flowers form a unique composition. As a second stem emerges from the bulb after the first one, the flowering can last for more than a month. The ribbon-like foliage, with its shiny green colour, turns yellow and then dries up some time after flowering. The large bulb then enters a period of rest.

Planting an amaryllis is a rewarding experience. Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy' is very easy to grow and its growth is extremely fast. It flowers 6 to 8 weeks after planting. You can enjoy them throughout winter. Plant it at the beginning of November if you want to give it as a Christmas gift. Preferably place it in the sun in front of a window, for example. Trim the stem when the flowers fade to encourage new flower stalks to emerge.

If there is confusion between Amaryllis and Hippeastrum, it is because Carl Linnaeus gave the same name to this species native to South America and to another species native to South Africa. Since then, by convention, it is appropriate to use the name Hippeastrum for the American amaryllis and Belladonna for the South African amaryllis. The truth is that both species deserve this appellation, which means "haughty beauty".