Bill,

Well I agree it looks something like Moon Scene but not nearly the same as the Moon Scene on Saad Assaf's website. The flowers don't have that lovely shape and they are small and not graceful at all like the flowers in this picture. Not that small is bad it's just the overall shape of the flowers.

{{gwi:373078}}

Now I suppose I'm being too particular but if it looked like this picture I would be quite happy. Maybe the flowers on the second scape will be better.

Now RubyStar and Opal Star look as beautiful as their pictures if not better.

I'm only complaining to you guys, I'm not going to raise a ruckus over this one. I'm just waiting for something new to bloom this year that I can ooh and aah over!

Donna

Donna, I think you do have a Moonscene. Maybe the picture on Saad's site was edited in photoshop and some green color added to the throat and petals.
I do understand your disappointment, however, because there is quite a difference between the pictures.
Rimma

Donna,

My Moonscene looked just like yours and I agree the color is right but the shape is off. Also had Superstar blooming at the same time and it out shined poor Moonscene in size and color. Maybe next year it will show what it can do. I think I over watered my cutting edge and although it is growing leaves the flower bud is turning yellow so I guess I will be waiting until next year on that one too.
-J

Oh so it did bloom true as Saad's "01-2-2" aka Moon Scene. Saad's catalogue describes this as "Striped white/red".

Just a very quick shot outside at 17F! Brrrrrrrrr!!!!

This post was edited by mariava7 on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 23:47

Well at least Lime Flash has bloomed true and it's pretty cute. I only got one scape on each of mine looks like you hit the jackpot!!

Hi all,

Can you please help me identify the name of this beautiful amaryllis? I bought it from a local nursery but it had no name... Flower size I would say normal size, not large but definitely not of the miniature type. At first I thought it was Ambiance but there is no red colouring on the bottom half of the flowers. I doubt it is a Moonscene though. Your help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Wow!! That is a beauty with those beautifully swirled petals and that picotee edge. I'm really not sure what it is as the only two red/white that I have are Clown and Ambiance and my Ambiance never looked like that! Take good care of it and hopefully someone will have some good guesses for you. No, I too doubt that it's Moonscene as that was supposedly a new introduction this year but if my Moonscene looked like that I would be jumping for joy!

Donna

This post was edited by dondeldux on Fri, Jan 17, 14 at 19:26

Well, maybe it is Ambiance. I looked through some pictures and as you say most have more red in the lower petals but on this link the pictures look more like yours but don't seem to have quite the same shape although close. Just a guess but I'd say you have a perfect Ambiance...

Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: Ambiance

This post was edited by dondeldux on Fri, Jan 17, 14 at 19:24

Ambiance

Just an update on the very first pictured non - Cutting Edge mislabeled bulb...
It's succeeding blooms have improved to be like this. None in Saad's catalogue looked similar to it.

{{gwi:373082}}

Well, that's certainly an improvement over the first picture!! Maybe you got what I received when I got my first Tinkerbell which was supposed to be a Half & Half; a mistake that they may or may not release in the future.
Anyway I guess the real Cutting Edge has escaped us all for this year anyway..at least your mistake is prettier than the one I got!

I've got a second scape about to open on Moonscene; hoping it's an improvement over the first flowers.

Donna

My Moon Scene has a foot tall scape now so it would be interesting if it would be an Ambiance look alike. Saad does have several varieties that are look alikes of other varieties. Snowdrift > Alfresco, Siren>Joker and now this...My 2 "Not Sophisticate" looks like Baby Star or perhaps more of Hadeco's Hot Lips. Any of you got lucky with a true Sophisticate this season yet?

This post was edited by mariava7 on Thu, Jan 16, 14 at 11:16

I think I may possibly have one as the leaves and bud tip are purplish which they are supposed to be but, it just won't grow!

This had been a really disappointing year for new bulbs... for me anyway, not to mention the Komoriya bulbs!

Donna

...the jury is still out...

nagano274 ,
Your hippeastrum is Amorice not Ambiance. They differ from
the shape of flower.

Remember my Love Triangle which looks like something else?:
{{gwi:373086}}
Well, I wrote to Living Gardens and they actually contacted Saad's nursery as I understand. So, they were told that it is in fact a Love Triangle, just in faded colors... I was offered a replacement though. What do you guys think?

I have what I think is a Sophisticate, that ironically I received as a vendor mistake (not Living Gardens) when I ordered something else. So happy accident for me - it is a fantastic bulb if you can manage to get one. Those purple scapes are quite amazing - here is mine last year:
{{gwi:373089}}
{{gwi:373090}}
Donna, yours does look promising. It being one of the last to bloom might be encouraging - Sophisticate is one of my latest bulbs to bloom. Actually, I think it was very last last season. Last year I was able to get 'Naughty Lady' to accept Sophisticate pollen, which seems to be nearly sterile. I got 4 seedlings from a partially developed pod. Can't wait to see what I get. Wouldn't it be fantastic if the coloration of the bloom is different but it retains those awesome purple scapes?

Thanks oleg9grower. You have convinced me that in fact it's actually an Amorice.

A true Ambiance resembles more the photos in the link sent by Donna.

Thanks everyone!

So is that what Sophisticate looks like? I was kinda hoping it would look like Emaryllis' Sophisticate with thinner petals and the white running from the flower center all the way to all of the petal edges. Maybe I should get a Sophisticate from ETGB and try their stock.

Maria, I can't promise mine really is a Sophisticate - what do you think? Is it? Just my best guess. I can't get Emaryllis to work for me so can't see that image. But the ETGB picture looks like what I have. What I can say is that photos don't do this one justice, very hard to capture on film. It is a towering presence in the garden. Was almost a foot taller than my johnsoniis which were right next to it, and just seems to sort of glow.

I really have no idea what a true Sophisticate looks like and just based my expectations on Emaryllis' picture of it. Do a google search of it and you'll be surprised of the different looks of Sophisticate. Perhaps it's flower shape and colors are not that stable and varies according to food, temp and light exposure? A lot of red/whites are like this.

Dear all,

IâÂÂm still running to stand still, and just popping in with my Israeli bulb update.
Maria, frustratingly both of my Emerald Dawn bulbs have only produced leaves.
One of my Cutting Edge bulbs was definitely Lime Flare. They are sweetly delicate with two scapes each, but now I have three. Another CE bulb is teasing me by pushing two notably thinner scapes. Could there still be hope?

Moon Scene is still dormant. Love Triangle is just opening its four flowers fully. It doesnâÂÂt look anything like the photo that was shown on Living Gardensâ site. Lacking the pronounced red portions, nice shape, and the red picotee edge. So far, itâÂÂs not even as appealing as DonnaâÂÂs not Cutting Edge. Rimma, I donâÂÂt think that your bulbâÂÂs flowers match the Love Triangle photo either.

One of my Tinkerbell bulbs produced two 18â scapes with six and seven 4.5â flowers respectively. A third scape is peeking out. Interestingly, the other bloomed with one 9â scape with six 3.5â flowers. Presently, it is pushing a second and third scape. There is no difference in bulb size or growing conditions. IâÂÂm wondering if the bloom size variation and the scape height difference will be present in the next scapes. I havenâÂÂt been able to capture photos yet, but IâÂÂll try to find time.

I still hate GW's Terms of Service, but maybe this image of one of my Sophisticates will help a bit. IâÂÂm sending a big hello to Angela. I need to write to you (and several other GW buddies). I miss all yâÂÂall! The San Francisco Bay Area is experiencing the warmest January in 160 years of recorded weather. IâÂÂm not overly fond of winter, but as of Friday we are officially having a major drought and need rain.

Cheers,

Blanca

{{gwi:373091}}

Blanca! So nice to hear from you! Glad you are well. The seeds you sent me are growing along nicely. This spring, they will become part of my next landscaping project. I'm going to line the north side of my house, which is mostly high shade with gingers in the back by the wall, and hippeastrum seedlings all along the front. Thanks for sharing your great picture of Sophisticate!

Part of what makes them hard to id I think is that there are remarkably few pictures. Maria, I think that the Emarillis image that comes up on the google search is actually Johnsonii - if you follow the link it is on the I to P page, and while the description doesn't name it, it is much too old to be Sophisticate "The earliest recorded Hippeastrum hybrid (1799)...". I think Sophisticate was introduced in 2010. Were you able to find a spot on Emarillis that actually names Sophisticate? I could not. Several other of the images that come up on the google search are also Johnsonii. In images, Johnsonii and Sophisticate look really similar (the bulb I have I actually got by mistake mixed in a Johnsonii order). But side by side, they are quite different. Most especially in size and coloration of the peduncles and buds.

Check this out. This image shows the size difference my possible Sophisticate is on the right, and Johnsonii is on the left:
{{gwi:373092}}

And here are the green peduncles on johnsonii
{{gwi:373093}}

vs the purple ones on Sophsiticate
{{gwi:373094}}

So is a distinguishing feature of Sophisticate the purple peduncles? Blanca, what color are they for you? If we assume it is then when I google it I see only 3 pictures I think are actually Sophisticate. The ones on ETGB are not well positioned to see it, but do seem to have the purple peduncles. Living Gardens has reposted the same picture as have a number of other places. There is one more on Dave's garden that has the purple coloration in the peduncles. And I found one video, and it looks very close to Blanca's in shape, but the peduncles look green to me.

My bloom has the same petal coloring as Blancas, but it has wider petals that are a bit wavier. But then again, that could also be due to the age of the bloom. Mine start out less wavy when opening, and get more wavy as the bloom ages. Here's mine when newly opened:
{{gwi:373095}}

Fun discussion - thanks to all of you enablers who have made me a nerd on this topic=)

Here is my sophisticate. Will send Santiago that just boomed and that I really like. Also solid red scape.
-J

Angela!

Glad to hear that the seedlings are thriving. Your landscaping project will undoubtedly be gorgeous; like the other sections of your garden. I had some seedpod disasters caused by birds. Lesson learned. I wonâÂÂt be leaving pots with bulbs bearing precious seedpods outside again.

I donâÂÂt want to rely on memory alone, so I wonâÂÂt be able to answer your question definitively until one of my bulbs blooms again. Here is another shot that shows frillier edges.

Best,

Blanca

{{gwi:373096}}

That's a great shot Blanca. Makes me think more that mine is Sophisticate since yours also shows the frilly edges when fully open.

Very strange that birds damaged your seedpods. Wonder what kind of bird? Birds don't seem to bother mine, the only seedpods I've seen damaged were eaten by a caterpillar of some sort.

And snails.

-J

Well, everyone's pictures of Sophisticate are just lovely and makes me yearn all the more for mine to bloom!!

Donna

When the seedpod disaster happened last year, I couldnâÂÂt attribute the damage to the frolicking chipmunks or squirrels that frequently dig around and bury nuts, seeds, and acorns in planters. I did some research and learned that many species of birds relish and ravage seedpods bearing nutritious seed. The canyon here is a birderâÂÂs paradise populated by a multitude of avian life including birds of prey (e.g., red-tailed hawks, osprey, vultures, and several owl species), and a family of red-headed woodpeckers that attack the deck railings. I may have incorrectly blamed blue jays with their strong black bills for the damage because I find them pesky and contentious; along with the hefty ravens that congregate on the roofs and clomp around heavily.

J - not many snails here, but slugs abound. However, I had never before seen damage like this that actually destroyed seeds inside seedpods. Maybe someone can help me to identify which critter did this. I donâÂÂt have a photo of the seedpods with holes in them, but here is a photo of some seeds showing the damage that I found inside the pods. Note that the embryos were eaten efficiently. Any ideas?

Best,

Blanca

P.S. Donna I hope that your Sophisticate blooms soon and is true to name!

{{gwi:373097}}

Blanca,

Well, I've never seen anything like that! Some one had a very tasty and nutritious meal at your expense! Any chance it could be an insect of some kind?

Donna

Hi Donna,

The holes in the seedpods were quite large and deep. It looked to me like they had been pecked, but I simply don't know.

-Blanca

A mouse? As I look more closely do I see many minute bite marks?

This post was edited by dondeldux on Mon, Jan 20, 14 at 18:17

Yay, my Sophisticate from Living Gardens bloomed today. Absolutely stunning.

Earwigs???

Yay Donna!

Another gorgeous Sophisticate! I am seriously envious now.

I never thought of earwigs but something was a very neat eater wouldn't you say? Never even damages the outside of the seed covering...

Ooops! I thought the last pic was yours Donna! Hasn't yours bloomed yet?
Yayyy for Mac! LOL

Yes earwigs would do this to ripen seedpods and go through those seeds inside munching on the embryos. Happened to some of my yellow seepods outside a few springs back.

Blanca, that damage looks a lot like the caterpillar damage I've seen. I found pods with holes in the outside, seeds that looked like that on the inside and no bug. But then as I kept looking, the caterpillar had moved from one pod to another after eating the insides - finally spotted it on about the 3rd pod it had eaten. Pretty efficient - drilles a hole and eats its way through making the seeds look like swiss cheese.

Great picture Mac! Could you post a picture of the peduncle, where the flower base attaches to the stem? I'd love to see if yours have the purple coloration.

Thank you, Maria!

I never thought of earwigs. It's amazing that they could do this type of damage. I have seen them lurking beneath things around the property, and they do attack my wisterias.

-B

Angela,

I didn't see your post until after I replied to Maria. We must have posted at the same moment. I'll keep an eye out for hungry caterpillars too. The easiest solution will be to keep all potted bulbs bearing seedpods inside (unless the dreaded Narcissus Bulb Flies find my house)!

Many thanks,

Blanca

Yes Blanca, they are "beneath things" in the morning but are partying at night! They love my clivias' flowers too! They don't care for the younger green seepods by the way but would choose those seedpods that are almost ready to harvest.

This post was edited by mariava7 on Tue, Jan 21, 14 at 14:45

I love the pictures and am so envious that you can grow these outdoors and not have to dig them in the fall. BTW, we are having the worst winter ever and it is STILL January. The huge build-up of snow will be great if it melts very slowly in the spring.

Sun_Worshiper,
Here is the photo of the scape. Yes, it is a dark red-brown color.

Sophisticate is sure to one of the top contenders for my favorite Hippie this year. The vivid deep reds are just amazing. Looking at emaryllis.com, I find that the coloration of my Sophisticate to be almost as deep as the photo of 'Tinto'. It is not quite that dark, but seems closer to that color than is represented in the photo of 'Sophisticate' on Emaryllis.

Thanks Mac. That's a great purple stem! Isn't the color just amazing! I'd like to see those knobby bits right at the base of the flower. Could you post a shot from the top down like this?

{{gwi:373098}}

See how on mine it is purple right where the flower joins the stem? Are those purple on yours too?

Well, my Creative Edge just bloomed and like Donna it is Lime Flair. At least it is a nice variety. I guess I will have to reorder Creative Edge next year and hope I get lucky.
Maida

Well, my Creative Edge bloomed and just like Donna it is Lime Flair. At least it is a nice variety. I will have to reorder Creative Edge next year and hope I get lucky.

Maria,
perhaps on your photo shows this is not Sophisticate but Christmas Star(?) Hadeco 2003.

This post was edited by oleg9grower on Mon, Jan 27, 14 at 11:59

Yes my non Sophisticate kinda looks like Christmas Star of Hadeco but they differ in color with Christmas Star being orange red. Christmas Star has white in it's petal tips and does not have Non Sophisticate's frilly petal edges.
One of them is actually in it's second bloom, 6 flowers in the scape.

This post was edited by mariava7 on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 23:50

Hi Maria!

I hope that my Moon Scene is as pretty as your is when I take it out of hibernation. Sorry about all of your Cutting Edge bulbs. I'm waiting for my third Cutting Edge bulb's first scape to open in the next few days. If I win the jackpot, and it is truly CE, I'll post photos.

Best,

Blanca

Well, we all seem to be well endowed with Lime Flairs! Hopefully Blanca, you will have the real Cutting Edge! That was the one that I was the most interested in and I'm wondering if ANYONE was lucky enough to receive the real thing; lets hope so because I am dying to see one!!

We will all have to try again next year...gulp...

Donna

This post was edited by dondeldux on Sun, Feb 2, 14 at 11:40