About two weeks ago, I purchased an Amaryllis bulb that had been dipped in wax. This is a new product that I haven’t seen until recently. They advertise that it’s a flower that will bloom without watering. I bought one just to see what would happen. Mine has been growing, but there are some problems. The first flower stalk that came up bloomed, but it had only two flowers, and usually there are four. The second stalk is now coming up, so I will let you know how things go later.
If you are someone who enjoys growing flowers, there is a disturbing aspect to this. Because the bulb is dipped in a wax coating, it does not need to be watered, but it is being sold as a one-shot deal where it will not bloom again, and you are expected to just throw it out after it blooms. Most people who like to grow flowers view this as plant abuse because you’re just using it as a decoration, and then throwing it away. However, someone who do not have a green thumb may view this as a nice gift. There are a lot of people who would like to have a flowering plant but do not want to have to water it. For those people, this type of Amaryllis might actually make a nice gift, so it depends on one’s point of view.
I have read on the Internet that some people are trying to save their wax dipped Amaryllis bulbs by cutting off the wax coat. I am planning on trying this after the flowers have died on mine, and I will let you know what the result is of the experiment. Here is a link to a thread about rescuing these bulbs if you have one, and you want to try to do it yourself.
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2808938/the-horror-that-is-wax-encased-bulbs
When I searched, I even saw website about someone who has dipped the bulbs in the wax herself. It sounded like she was very successful at it, but personally, I find this sickening, and I would never do it myself, but I guess to each her own.
I went to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show yesterday, and bought three new amaryllises! Unfortunately, they’re just bulbs at the moment so I won’t have anything to show you until they bloom, but I will post pictures when they bloom. The show runs until Sunday. The tickets cost $20, and I paid $30 for parking, and $40 for the bulbs, so it was quite an expensive trip altogether. I bought the bulbs from Doornbosch Bros. They only sell wholesale to people who want to do fundraising for most of the year. The flower show is the only time that they sell directly to individuals. I really wish that they would sell to individuals more often. I really like their bulbs very much. I’ve been buying bulbs from them since 2015. It’s really hard for me to understand their business model. It seems to me that they could make much more money selling directly to individuals, but I guess not. I’m not really set up to be able to sell bulbs directly to people, so the whole wholesale thing doesn’t work for me at all. I have no use for buying bulbs wholesale at the moment. In any case, I think their bulbs are really great, so if you live anywhere near Chicago, you should definitely check out the show! It runs every year in March, so if you miss it this year, definitely check it out next year.