Plants + Care

Winter White Amaryllis: Intokazi

6 Comments
‘Intokazi’ white amaryllis, from South Africa is a stunner.

Let’s face it, November, early December is the prime season of brown and bedraggled—bare trees, sundown at 4:30, and the dreary heft of winter coat and boots. I can’t think of a better time to impulse-buy an amaryllis in a pot. I bought this one a week and a half ago, and over the last couple of days it unfurled its first pure white flowers: utterly gorgeous, with a small touch of green at the throat. Its variety is ‘Intokazi’, from South African growers. Although fleeting, like all flower bulbs, this one is an absolute beauty for the week or so it lasts.

Many people’s first introduction to amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is ‘Red Lion‘, the ubiquitous screaming red variety often packaged for Christmas. I can’t blame it for its exuberance, but lately I’ve been more drawn to rarer types: miniature varieties, multi-stemmed, or white and green-flowered ones, so I snapped up this single white one when I saw it. In the waning daylight at the dreary end of the year, this pristine beauty is setting my heart a flutter.

Sarah

Sarah Battersby is a designer, writer and teacher who regularly hacks away at forest of lilacs and sumachs in the country. She wishes she’d never planted that goutweed.

6 comments

    1. I just looked at the Gardenimport website, and they still have interesting amaryllis for sale — delivery in the GTA is typically quick. In fact, right now the amaryllis is discounted there.

      The one that Sarah writes about above came, I believe, from Fiesta Gardens. They usually have a few boxes of the more interesting cultivars for sale in their garden centre, although at this time of year the pickin's might be pretty slim.

      Or try phoning around to some of the other independent garden centres such as Plant World, Bill's Garden Centre or even East of Eliza to see what they have in stock. Google any of these — or check our retail links in the right column on this site. But Gardenimport might be your best bet right now.

  4. What a beauty this is. I have a pink and white one, no idea of its name, I bring mine out of the cold room and force them to start growing after Christmas. Winter is so long up here and with all my Christmas decorations taking up space, I try to stagger the treats.

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