Amaryllis

This bulbous plant originates in the Western Cape of South Africa. In the Autumn, it produces large, tubular, fabulously-fragrant soft-pink blooms with cream throats on upright 50cm stems, each stem bearing up to six flowers. The leaves appear just after flowering and usually persist until the following Spring, when they die back before the next years flower buds emerge. Amaryllis belladonna prefers a sunny position and well drained soil. I find it best at the base of a sunny wall where the bulbs increase in size over the years, often sitting just proud of the soil.