Hippeastrum Luna - Amaryllis

The Amaryllis 'Luna', or Hippeastrum 'Luna' in Latin, is a spectacular bulbous plant with a single flowering in ivory colour veined with tender green. The flower, reaching 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in diameter, will capture all our attention when it blooms inside the house in the middle of winter.

Originally from subtropical regions of Central and South America, Hippeastrum are frost-sensitive plants cultivated in pots indoors in our climates. The 'Luna' variety will capture all our attention with the striking beauty of its flowering. Its shiny and wavy texture resembles precious fabrics. Its petals are ivory finely veined with green. The heart is also green. 4 to 6 enormous flowers overhang a (sometimes two) large and thick hollow stem of 55 cm (22in) in this variety. Positioned back to back, the flowers together form a unique composition. The leaves are deciduous, ribbon-like, and dark green.

Planting an Amaryllis is a very rewarding thing. Very easy to grow its growth is extremely rapid. 6 to 10 weeks after planting, the flowers are already blooming. This magnificent plant blooms while the bad weather is raging outside and the garden is in dormancy. To offer it for Christmas, consider planting it in early November. And for your own pleasure, associate it with its red crimson counterpart, Amaryllis 'Rapido'. Preferably place it to the sun in front of a window, for example. Cut back the stem when the flowers are faded to promote flowering again.

Talking about Amaryllis, there is actually a misuse of language directly linked to an error made in the 18th century. It was Linnaeus himself who used it to name the beautiful American plant. However, the name was already used for another plant, this one from South Africa. We have kept the name Amaryllis for both, but the Latin name for the American one will be Hippeastrum. It must be said that both deserve this name well: Amaryllis means 'sparkling' and, in classical Greek literature, it was the subject of a pastoral poem where the beautiful shepherdess Amaryllis is dying of a love that will only be accessible to her after a terrible wound. From her blood will emerge superb bunches of red flowers.