Good morning I bought an Indica Qusqualis. She comes in a pot but she has no sign of being alive. It's the end of April in the Iberian Peninsula. It's normal? When will it develop leaves and flowers? Thank you very much Best regards, Maria Petronilho

Oleg, I have maybe three bulbs of H. psittacinum and they're pretty slow growing and they're very susceptible to rot and bug attacks, I've not had the easiest time with them but I have started to care for them more and have had an easier time! I think partially the reason H. papilio and H. cybister are so common in cultivation now is considering Fred Meyers, he crossed the best clones of each species to create a more tough and tumble plant. As well, these two species are among the easier to grow along with H. striatum, H. aulicum and H. puniceum which are also fairly common. Many Hippeastrum species I don't think could withstand cultivation in the casual growers hand UNLESS you live in an area with favorable conditions. You must study many of the species individually to know exactly what conditions are best considering they're found in a multitude of places including swamps AND deserts. I know many seasoned growers of Hippeastrum still have a very tough time with many species and many flower very seldom if at all. H. papilio is from a mild forest which is easily imitated by indoor conditions, it can be grown epiphytically, lithophytically or the usual pot of soil so it can handle a large range mediums. It grows in brightly lit places to shady areas so lighting usually isn't much of an issue. H. papilio can be maintained as an evergreen plant which gives a huge advantage against rotting too and it's resistant to many pests and diseases where as most other species are not! If you were to try growing Hippeastrum pardinum with the same idea of H. papilio you would more than likely fail, it needs a incredibly dry rest period during opposing months; any water during the dormancy will result in rotting and quite quickly! It doesn't always flower well *some sources only see flowers every ten years or so* and is usually a winter growing species, it relies on a lower amount of sunlight and ultimately much less water, put this in the hands of a typical "amaryllis" grower and they're set up for failure! This isn't to say that it's impossible to grow many of these species successfully because it isn't but you must educate yourself. While the hybrids and some species (h. papilio) are very forgiving, most others are not. I think it would be spectacular to see these grown in larger quantities but sadly I don't foresee that as most aren't willing to invest the time and energy they take. :( It's also a big misconception that ALL Hippeastrum need light water in fear of rotting, H. breviflorum, H. harrisonii, some forms of H. vittatum and H. angustifolium can be found in bogs, swamps and other wet areas, many are completely submerged throughout their growing seasons and only slightly dryer during dormancy, these species could create a more resistant plant in future breeding as well, I think these are quite beneficial as parents to new hybrids but their ease of growing is nil to none. Josh

M. alba I believe is normally propagated by grafting (onto M. champaca I think). Don't know whether this is due to the difficulty of propagating from seed or growing from cuttings, or whether the alba doesn't come true from seed. Possibly all of the above. M. champaca is grown on its own rootstock and is not too difficult to grow from seed, provided the seed is fresh enough and the temperature is warm enough. I tried numerous times to grow it from ebay-bought seed but had always sowed them in spring or early summer, when nights can still occasionally be fresh. (I don't have a heat mat.) It was only when I sowed seed in mid-summer, when night temperatures hover around 20-20 deg C (about 70 deg F) that they germinated. So they need 24-hour warmth (ie no cool nights), and humidity (I misted them with water and covered with plastic) to germinate. I believe that the champaca DOES come true from seed. Unless, perhaps, there are other species of michelia in the vicinity with which it has hybridised ...

I bought a plant from Annie also. Still has not bloomed. I am hoping for Z8b hardiness but I am not going to test it until it blooms and I have some successful germination. The information is very indistinct and inconclusive. I hope it is not too difficult to germinate.