Hippeastrum Blooms in May

When climate was still reliable, and it has not yet been acting like a stressed psychopath, hippeastrum here in the hot tropics wake up from dormancy after the first heavy rains. By heavy rains i mean continuous rains that lasted for long hours or overnight. That literally soaks the soil deep until the roots of trees are fully quenched. That is the time when after 2-3 days the grasses starts to produce the green carpet, and the weeds starts to simultaneously germinate.

However, with the so called "Climate Change", not only people are experiencing the dilemma and problems in planning agricultural planting. Even the plants themselves suffer chaotic behavior. And that response to rain is very obvious with the hippeastrum blooming. We got some long drizzles in March and April, enough to break dormancy of some hippeastrum bulbs. Definitely, i will not be getting again simultaneous blooms from my H puniceum hedges and mounds. Moreover, i will not be able to pollinate some blooms as they will not bloom simultaneously. This year is a repeat of last  year. It is now May and i am already getting the bad picture of the climate change outcome.

The first one and No. 3 are red while the others are orange.

1. Hippeastrum X johnsonii

2. Hippeastrum petiolatum 

    It has shorter growth, scape and smaller bulbs. The flowers are also smaller but compensated with more number of 4 flowers per scape.

3. Hippeastrum from seeds of Carol Noel

    

They have much bigger bulbs, longer leaves, taller scape and big flowers. The tips of the flowers also tend to flip that brings more grace to its look. They also have 4-5 flowers per scape. 

4. Hippeastrum puniceum

5. Hippeastrum puniceum 'Alberti' 

    This hybrid of H. puniceum is short, with leaves also dwarfed by the other species. However, the multipetalled flowers get the wonderful limelight. Besides, the blooms last for several days. 

6. Hippeastrum roseum

This is also a diminutive species, but taller than that of H. 'Alberti'. Leaves are more erect and        thicker too. However, the flowers per scape are normally just 2-3. Flower sizes are also narrower just like the H. petiolatum. The stripes however gives it the outstanding attraction. 

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