Ember & Plum Duo Amaryllis Bulbs — Scarlet-Orange and Deep Purple

Two colors that should fight and do not. The scarlet-orange carries a red eye and a lime throat; the purple is near-black at the center with a lilac edge. Side by side the warm one pushes forward and the cool one recedes, so the pair looks staged rather than mixed.

What you get

• One bulb of each colorway on a two-count order, scaled up for larger counts.
• 26/28 cm bulbs — the orange throws two stems, the purple usually one very heavy one.
• Assorted at packing, not chosen at checkout.

Planting

• Pot: a 6–7 in pot per bulb, two-thirds soil, one-third bulb above the rim — amaryllis sulk when they are buried.
• Water: soak once at planting, then keep the mix just damp. Wet soil around the bulb is the usual reason a big bulb never opens.
• Light: Bright light, cool room; the purple darkens in shade — a south or west window, or a grow light for 12 hours a day.
• Root in the dark first: 2–3 weeks in a cool, darkish room gets roots down before the stem runs up.
• Stake it early. A double this heavy leans, and it will not straighten again once the flowers open.
• Keep the purple turned away from direct sun or the lilac edge bleaches to grey.

After the flowers

• The orange is the faster rebloomer of the two; do not expect them to flower in the same week again.
• Feed both through summer, then dry off in September.

Bulbs ship dormant and firm, 26/28 cm around, boxed to protect the nose. Orders leave in 5–7 working days; 8–25 working days in transit. Petal color shifts a little with light and temperature — the cooler the room, the deeper the bloom.