Free Downloads Amaryllis
The amaryllis—elegant, tropical, and breathtakingly beautiful—is the most majestic of all the flowering bulbs. Its distinctive look, long-lasting blooms, and ease of cultivation have made it a favorite of plant lovers and a fixture in their homes around the world throughout the winter months. Now, award-winning photographer Starr Ockenga brings us Amaryllis, a comprehensive exploration of the beauty, history, and cultivation of this singular flower.A unique photographic record of a diverse and alluring plant, Amaryllis is a document of the season that Ockenga spent growing more than ninety varieties in her upstate New York greenhouse. From the papery surface of the bulb to glorious flower to spent bloom, Ockenga’s remarkable photographs capture all the sensuality and drama of the amaryllis. Her images demonstrate the flower’s extraordinary range of color and form, from the iridescent velvety-red ‘Basuto’ to the brilliantly striped ‘Jaguar’ and the awkward grace of ‘Giraffe’s’ long stem and delicate flower.More than a collection of stunning flower portraits, Amaryllis offers practical wisdom on growing these plants. Gardeners will appreciate Ockenga’s expert insights on storage, propagation, and hybridization, and new plant enthusiasts will learn how simple it is to grow amaryllis from the bulb or to display its cut flowers. With fascinating information on the historical background of the amaryllis, details on its horticultural requirements, and an illustrated glossary of almost 100 varieties, Amaryllis is the authoritative guide to the queen of flowering bulbs.
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (September 17, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0609608819
ISBN-13: 978-0609608814
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #669,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #21 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Flowers > Bulbs
What a terrific book! It's so much more than the gorgeous photographs for which the author is well-known -- it has lots of information on cultivation and propagation plus there is a glossary with pictures of 96 different hybrids complete with growing information (type, height/flower size and time from planting until flowering). The author also includes a history of the cultivation of amaryllis which is very interesting -- she documents descriptions and instructions for growing beginning with Milton in 1637 through the Victorian and Edwardian periods to today. She describes the three main sources of bulbs (African, Dutch and South American) and discusses both older varieties and newer cultivars including the miniatures and those with double flowers.Amaryllis come in a large variety of patterns within a color range consisting of red, white, pink and, more recently, peach, pale green, yellow and orange. Ockenga provides beautiful, lyrical descriptions: "'Cinderella' boasts kitten whiskers drawn on an upturned face, 'Charisma' is speckled with cranberry dots that fade to a creamy background, while 'Elvas' and 'Allure' seem splashed with the juice of sweet cherries."The book concludes with a list of suppliers (with web addresses) and an extensive bibliography. This is a great book for anyone interested in growing amaryllis, particularily given that there is nothing else like it on the market today. Note, however, that Ockenga grows her amaryllis in pots in her greenhouse in New York; she includes information on growing amaryllis in the ground but the bulk of the growing information is with regard to pot-grown bulbs. Much of this is generic to both kinds of cultivation, however, as is the information on pests and diseases, feeding and watering schedules, etc. This is, quite simply, a wonderful book.
I am an avid grower of amaryllis and have been collecting every article and tip I could find on this lovely bulb for over 10 years. There has been no book exclusively on the amaryllis available. I was skeptical that a book just 95 pages long, including the extensive bibliography, could fill the gap. Starr Ockenga's book will not need another to supplement it. The photographs are extrordinary. Her instructions for planting are thorough. For culture of the bulb she presents prevailing wisdom and states what she herself did, allowing the reader to choose their own course. I was impressed that a beautiful garden book included a pests and diseases page. One minor quibble is that the Glossary of Hippeastrum Hybrids has closely cropped photos. This gives wonderful color depiction but very little info as to how the overall shape and size of the flower as it relates to the plant. I have purchased a second copy of the book to donate to my local library.
This specialized gardening guide provides a set of full-color photos of different varieties of amaryllis, and represents the author's world journey in an effort to acquire as many varieties as amaryllis as she could. She grew each plant herself, documenting its growth pattern, blooms, and demise: Amaryllis is thus far more than a picturebook, providing gardeners with invaluable, practical growing tips.
Beautifully photographed this book is inspirational as well as informative. I am a beginner in the care of Amaryllis and this book has given be the basics and more to take care of these amazing plants.
If you like Amaryllis, you will love this book. Great photos that are just as good as the plant. The only work to see a fantastic amaryllis is to turn to the next page, even though it may be hard to leave the page your viewing. You can always turn back the pages and start over.
This is a beautiful book on amaryllis. It is worth the price if for no other reason than the pictures of the flowers.
It's about time that a book comes out devoted solely to this most beautiful of flowering bulbs. Starr does an excellent job of photographing the flowers and other aspects/parts of the bulb. I have not seen in my travels such an extensive coverage of Amaryllis and I have searched far and wide. The pictures are all clear and some are very unique (i.e. a close up of a bud opening or flowers withering etc). The information she gives is comprehensive enough but the only thing I found missing, oddly enough, was the aspect of light. When the plant is growing indoors, how much light does it need after it flowers? Puzzling but otherwise good.
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