studio flowers: amaryllis ‘Exotic Star’

30 Dec 2021

Closeup of a hand and wrist wearing Wraptillion's spiky floral modern chainmail Garland Bracelet with three open flowers and a bud on green and red-striped amaryllis 'Exotic Star' (hippeastrum).

Look who’s in bloom now! Amaryllis ‘Exotic Star’ is brightening up this snowy day in my studio. I’m entranced by these pale green flowers, striped with dark maroon red. They’re so elegant and lush, more like an amazingly easy-to-care-for orchid or a huge alstroemeria. (Seen here with the Garland Bracelet I was supposed to be working on…)

Three open flowers and a bud on green and red-striped amaryllis 'Exotic Star' (hippeastrum), blooming in a terracotta pot on a white desk in Wraptillion's studio.

I admit it — I spent way too long spinning the pot around so I could admire it from different angles! Hope you enjoy this bit of winter beauty and botanical-meets-modern lush style too!

Closeup of three open flowers and a bud on green and red-striped amaryllis 'Exotic Star' (hippeastrum), blooming in Wraptillion's studio.

You can see it just beginning to open here, with my miniature amaryllis ‘Saffron’.

Want to see more sneak peeks into my studio and what’s growing and/or blooming here? See the studio flowers tag, or just the amaryllis. Or, click on modern holiday if that’s what you’re after!

Closeup of amaryllis 'La Paz' in bloom in Wraptillion's studio, with four spiky flowers in shades of red, orange, and yellow, with another bud showing.

Closeup of amaryllis (Hippeastrum) 'Evergreen' in Wraptillion's studio.

studio flowers: amaryllis ‘Saffron’ (and almost-open ‘Exotic Star’)

28 Dec 2021

Amaryllis 'Saffron' (a miniature sonatini type hippeastrum) blooming with three pale greenish yellow spidery flowers open.

Tiny little amaryllis ‘Saffron’ is in bloom today in my studio! It’s a miniature Sonatini-type, and its spidery petals look like it’s a cybister-type to me too. Such a delicate, pretty pale green/yellow flower! Here it is with ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Exotic Star’ (just starting to open) so you can see how petite it is. (Much taller ‘La Paz’ is still going strong too, with another spike about to open! I just didn’t have room on my desk for them all!)

Potted amaryllis (Hippeastrum) 'Evergreen' (cybister type, in bloom), 'Saffron' (miniature sonatini, in bloom), and 'Exotic Star' (perhaps a papilio hybrid, buds beginning to open) on a white desk in Wraptillion's studio.

And here they are with my 10-inch laptop, for scale. (Such a nice view while I’m editing images today!)

Amaryllis 'Exotic Star' (hippeastrum), two buds opening to show the striped red and pale green flowers, two buds still closed.

Amaryllis ‘Exotic Star’ looks like a Hippeastrum papilio hybrid to me, with its dark red stripes and pale greenish flower. My papilios aren’t ready yet, but I’m enjoying the way ‘Exotic Star’ is dramatically unfurling.

It looks so different from different angles!

Still in love with ‘Saffron’!

One last group shot, then back to work!

Want to see more sneak peeks into my studio and what’s growing and/or blooming here? See the studio flowers tag, or just the amaryllis. Or, click on modern holiday if that’s what you’re after!

studio flowers: amaryllis ‘Evergreen’

23 Dec 2021

Happy (modern) holidays! Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) ‘Evergreen’ (another cybister hybrid, I believe?) is blooming in my studio now, and its gorgeous spiky lime-green flowers are making my spirits bright! I hope you have something lovely to improve the view from your desk too.

Full-length view of potted amaryllis (Hippeastrum) 'La Paz' (tallest) and 'Evergreen' (medium height) blooming with miniature 'Lemon Sorbet' in bud (half the height of 'La Paz') for height comparison, shown in Wraptillion's studio.

Here’s ‘Evergreen’ with amaryllis ‘La Paz’ (the second stalk is in bloom now, with another bud still to open!), and a bud of miniature ‘Lemon Sorbet’ for scale. Full-size amaryllis need a lot of space, but have a dramatic presence that earns it, in my opinion!

Amaryllis 'Evergreen' with Wraptillion's Bold Clustered Ornament and a sneak peek of another modern holiday ornament from the Circling collection. — *with the Bold Clustered Ornament (and a sneak peek of a new ornament design!)*

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) 'Evergreen' shown with Wraptillion's Trellis, Rose Window, Fuchsia, and Garland earrings. — *with Wraptillion’s Trellis Earrings, Rose Window Earrings, Short Fuchsia Earrings, and Garland Earrings – spiky modern botanical designs ftw!*

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) 'La Paz' with two stalks in bloom (one fading) and another bud, in Wraptillion's studio.

Here’s a better view of ‘La Paz’ still blooming away!

Many potted amaryllis growing in a window in Wraptillion's studio, with 'La Paz' and 'Emerald' in bloom.

When I’m not enjoying them on my desk, my amaryllis live on a low bookshelf in front of a south-facing window in my studio. Yes, it’s possible I went a little overboard this year…but don’t they brighten up a rainy winter day? (Don’t despair if yours haven’t started to grow yet — some of mine are taking their time too! I like how it spreads out the show.)

Want to see more sneak peeks into my studio and what’s growing and/or blooming here? See the studio flowers tag, or just the amaryllis. Or, click on modern holiday if that’s what you’re after!

studio flowers: amaryllis ‘La Paz’

14 Dec 2021

My kind of holiday look — the spiky, modern botanical version! I planted this amaryllis ‘La Paz’ earlier this fall, and it shot up into bloom with very little fuss. It can be hard to find these cybister-type amaryllis, but I think it’s absolutely worthwhile. (Yes, I know they’re actually Hippeastrum, but everyone still calls them amaryllis.) Here’s the full-length version — this is about two feet tall, and very dramatic! It could probably use a little more light (it sits in a south-facing window when not on my desk), and is almost a foot taller than my miniature ‘Dragonfly’ amaryllis.

Full length view of amaryllis 'La Paz' in bloom in a terracotta pot on a white desk in Wraptillion's studio, with four spiky flowers in shades of red, orange, and yellow, with another two buds showing.

I really love these tall terracotta rose pots for amaryllis — they’re heavy enough not to tip over easily, and they give the plants a nice, deep root run. I believe these are called ‘Long Tom’ pots in England? I found them at my local nursery. ‘Dragonfly’ is in a 4.25-inch diameter pot, and ‘La Paz’ got a 6-inch diameter pot.

Maybe they’ll inspire some new Mechanical Garden collection designs…

Want to see more sneak peeks into my studio and what’s growing and/or blooming here? See the studio flowers tag, or just the amaryllis. Or, click on modern holiday if that’s what you’re after!

studio flowers: amaryllis ‘Dragonfly’

2 Dec 2021

Desk photo from Wraptillion's studio with a black metal tree with Wraptillion's Bold Wisteria Ornament, Bold Trellis Ornament, Long Wisteria Ornament, and an opening flower and two more buds on light green and red striped amaryllis (hippeastrum) 'Dragonfly' (from the Sonatini collection), growing in a tall terracotta rose pot.

It’s feeling festive in my studio these days…in a pared-back sense that suits my style, anyway! My favorite modern holiday decorations are the ones I enjoy year-round, like this amaryllis ‘Dragonfly’ and these Wraptillion ornaments.

Whether I’m hanging them individually in a window or grouping them on a tree for winter, I love the modern botanical style these ornaments bring. After all, art should be enjoyed year-round, don’t you think? And although theoretically I could force my amaryllis (it’s really a hippeastrum, if you want to be proper about it) to bloom at a particular time, it suits me better to let them bloom when they’re ready. This miniature ‘Dragonfly’ is the first this year, and the light green petals and wine-red stripes are so lovely in the gray, rainy light from my window!

Closeup of the inside of the flower of light green and red striped amaryllis (hippeastrum) 'Dragonfly' (from the Sonatini collection).

If that isn’t winter magic, I don’t know what is!

Full height photo of the side view of an opening flower and two more buds on light green and red striped amaryllis (hippeastrum) 'Dragonfly' (from the Sonatini collection), growing in a tall terracotta rose pot.

Desk photo from Wraptillion's studio with a Macbook, small jewelry stand with Wraptillion's Trellis Earrings and Garland Earrings, and an opening flower and two more buds on light green and red striped amaryllis (hippeastrum) 'Dragonfly' (from the Sonatini collection), growing in a tall terracotta rose pot.

Can you see the resemblance to the Trellis and Garland Earrings from my botanical-inspired Mechanical Garden collection? Or is that just me??

Back to work now…or as soon as I can tear my eyes away!

Want to see more sneak peeks into my studio and what’s growing and/or blooming here? See the studio flowers tag, or just the amaryllis. Or, click on modern holiday if that’s what you’re after!