Amaryllis which produce a profusion of big strappy, healthy leaves and have a firm bulb, but still do not produce blossoms, may be dried off to induce the buds to come.
Withhold water until the leaves are slightly withered. Cut off the leaves at the top of the bulb. Repot into new soil, rich in organic matter, and keep warm and moist. A bud should show within a few weeks, and the plant should then be brought into a sunny location to complete its blooming cycle.
If this fails to produce blooms, try growing your amaryllis outdoors during the summer in a protected spot. Feed well and keep moist to help produce as many leaves as possible. Every four big leaves should suffice to produce one bud in the bulb.
Gloxinia seeds planted this month (February) give blossoms starting in late May, continuing throughout the summer. These seedling tubers when dried off this coming fall, rested, and then repotted for next year will give the most beautiful specimen gloxinias that can be grown. Lack of humidity plagues would be gloxinia growers and causes poor growth and blasted buds. Try setting your plants on trays of moist sand or peat moss. Large plants may be set into a larger pot with moss packed between the two and kept constantly moist to send up a breath of humidity for the plant.
In the greenhouse keep the area underneath the benches moist, and it is handy to be able to wet down the walks several times each week to in- crease humidity.
Oxalis coming into bloom depend upon water, fertilizer and much sun for a good season. Oxalis cernua has lemon yellow flowers (the size of a nickle) on long stems. Its foliage is splashed with spots of chocolate brown and it grows from a bulb. Oxalis rubra alba has black-green leaves with rosy undersides, and the leaves are square-cut. The plant is sometimes labeled regnalli and it produces a long, long season of white flowers which grow from a scaly rhizome.
Oxalis crassipes grows from a large tuber and is often called evergreen. It has large clusters of medium sized bright pink flowers which come in profusion for several months. These three oxalis make a good starting collection. They thrive in the greenhouse, under window garden conditions or fluorescent light, and outdoors in borders and window boxes.
Contributed by E McDonald
