CULTURE: Light, sunny to semi-sunny (except semi-shady during actual blooming period to prolong flowers). Temperature, average house. Humidity, 30% or more. Soil, equal parts loam, sand, and peat moss; when potting, allow only 1 in. between the haemanthus bulb and the pot wall. Do not repot every year. Instead, after the plant begins to grow strongly, give regular feedings. Keep soil evenly moist except nearly dry during rest period in fall and winter. Propagate by removing offsets whenever bulbs are being repotted.

   Hippeastrum

   DESCRIPTION: H. vittatum, 2 ft., from Peru, is the plant from which most of today's popular forms of amaryllis originated. These are the easiest, the showiest, and probably the most favored of all pot-grown bulbs. Hybrids of Dutch, American, or South African strains are available. Good cultivars sell for around five dollars. Flowers of all tend toward lily shape, and are composed of three outer and three inner segments which are nearly equal in size and equidistant from each other, though often not identically marked. They are borne atop stout scapes, usually in clusters of from two to five. In color the flowers may be pure white or of pink or red tones, including salmon, wine-red and violet-rose; they may have throats of lighter or deeper tones, or they may be banded, striped, or bor- dered in contrasting color. Many times a single bulb will send up as many as three scapes, resulting in a magnificent, long-lasting display.

   When amaryllis bulbs are first received, usually late fall, winter, or early spring, remove any dead roots, but leave all the live ones. When selecting a container, allow 2 inches of space between its walls and the amaryllis bulb. Set the bulb so that about half of it extends above the soil. Water when first potted, and add little if any moisture until growth starts. During the growing period, late fall or winter until late summer for most amaryllis, keep plants in a warm, sunny place, and water copiously. Make biweekly applications of a liquid house plant fertilizer. About September, allow the bulbs to dry off gradually by withholding water from the soil, and store them in their containers in a cool place (5O-60°F.). Watch for signs of a flower bud, and when one appears, renew the top inch of soil and top-dress with a fresh mixture before placing the amaryllis in good light and moisture. Complete repotting is necessary every three or four years.

   Hybrid amaryllis may fail to bloom if growing conditions do not promote at least four to six healthy new leaves during the spring and summer.