End February in Basel... :)
 

I have these 3 guys in bloom now... I must admit, I am very happy for different reasons:

Aerangis luteo-alba: this little guy has shown me that it was a right idea building the Vivarium :biggrin:
Aerangis luteo-alba var rhodosticta on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Aerangis luteo-alba var rhodosticta on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Phrag. wallisii: well... I can indeed grow Phragmies and bloom them :) (Phrag. fischerii is currently in spike ;))
Phragmipedium wallisii on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Phragmipedium wallisii on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Phragmipedium wallisii on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

and last but not least, Hippeastrum papilio (my favorite and only Amaryllis)... I had just given up with this guy... I neglected and forgot it on the balcony with temps going down to 40.. and for my surprise: 3 spikes :biggrin: this is the first flower to open
Amaryllis papilio on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Gorgeous blooms!! Love the Aerangis!

me too... :biggrin:

Your pics are so so good! I love the Aerangis, it's so beautiful! :love: Love the first pic of it!

Maybe I should inflict the same treatment on my stubborn Amaryllis papilio. I can't seem to get any bloom out of it, while my other Amaryllis bloom twice a year.

I may get evicted from this site for saying this. The flowers are all very beautiful but my choice is the Amaryllis. It is quite unusual. I grow Amaryllis in flower beds with other bulb type plants. All that I have are the common reds and pinks. Your plant is so unusual to me that I find it very stunning. I am so glad that it finally bloomed for you. The cool dry rest is what they like.

Jerry,

Hippeastrum papilio (sorry, not amarillis - I think I was very tired when naming the picture and posting it :)), is a wild species from Brazil.... it has been considered extinct from the wild since long ago. However, there are some reports that it has been found in the wild again since many years.

Indeed, it is one of the most amazing Hippeastrum you can find, but notnecessarily the easiest to bloom, and apparently the bloom does not last too long (I cannot corroborate that yet!). For my taste, only Sprekelia formosissima and a white wild Hippeastrum from Venezuela (which I have never identified) could compete in beauty... :)

They are all very beautiful, Ramón! That Phrag is fantastic! Good going - and may it be the start of a long blooming season for all of your plants!