My husband and I are enjoying our first time in Courchevel, a charming and very special mountain resort in France, which is part of ‘Les Trois Vallées’. Throughout our hotel and many of the local hotels and restaurants are beautiful arrangements of cut and potted amaryllis. I’ve never seen so many interesting arrangements using these flowers nor the beautiful colors of the white and pink amaryllis, so I had to share them here.
According to an interesting article in Gardener’s Supply, “Greek mythology brings us the story of Amaryllis, a love-struck maiden who longed for the handsome but cold-hearted Alteo.
Desperate to win his love, she pierced her heart with a golden arrow and then visited his cottage daily, shedding drops of blood along the way. On the thirtieth day, beautiful scarlet flowers bloomed along the path. Alteo was enamored, Amaryllis’ heart was healed, and our favorite holiday bloom got its name.”
Here are a few facts from Gardener’s Supply that you might not know about amaryllis:
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- Amaryllis means to sparkle in Greek.
- In nature, amaryllis bloom in spring or summer, but are commonly forced into early bloom for the holidays.
- The U.S. imports more than 10 million amaryllis bulbs every year, mainly from Holland and South Africa.
- Plant breeders have developed more than 600 named varieties
- Amaryllis reproduce by growing “daughter” bulbs next to the “mother” bulbs.
- It takes three to five years for a daughter bulb to reach a marketable size.
- You can grow amaryllis from seed, but it can take up to six years for them to reach maturity and produce flowers.
- Amaryllis are tender perennials; most are hardy outdoors only in zones 9 to 11.
- Properly cared for, an amaryllis plant can live for 75 years!
- The genus Hippeastrum, of which amaryllis is a member, has yielded several substances with medically useful properties, one of which has shown promise as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Seeing these lovely flowers en masse throughout Courchevel has made me think twice about including these flowers in my arrangements beyond the holidays. And I am certainly going to keep my eyes open for the different colors and varieties that are available. They are very special indeed.
