Still wondering what not-Lagoon's real name is

10 years ago

Did anyone who bought Lagoon last year and got a pink with white star instead, figure out what the substitution is?

Mine is reblooming now. Two scapes up at once, with four buds per scape. There's a pair of open blooms on the first scape, and two buds on the second look ready to open tomorrow. I didn't attempt to induce dormancy, just let the bulb keep growing leaves, and yet I'm getting wonderful mid-December blooms. I'm thrilled. I'd like to know what this magic self-scheduling variety is so I can recommend it to others. It irks me that the tag still says "pink w/white star."

First I thought maybe it's Susan, lots of people got that one when they were expecting something else. But there's no red eye. The pink is rich, bright and slightly coral-tinted. The white star feathers into pale pink streaks that continue all the way out to the tips. The stigma is white at the center of the flower and changes to pink when it gets to the pink border. Flower diameter is 7." Exposure perhaps, or Royal Dutch, or Vera, or Wonderland... Maybe it's an un-named "garden amaryllis." I know there are lots of pinks out there. I've been looking online, trying to solve this mystery, and keep finding more possible candidates the longer I look.

Comments (12)

dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
10 years ago
Edie, If you're not sure know how to post a picture send it to either me or Kristi and we'll be glad to post it for you...we'd have to see it to give an accurate guess as to it's identity. I have several of the varieties that you mentioned you think it might be but without a picture I don't know if we can accurately help you.

Donna
Edie
Original Author
10 years ago
Donna,

The trouble is the lack of a camera. No smart phone either, just a tiny flip phone that's over five years old.
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
10 years ago
Edie, you mention a coral pink; well I would say that my Vera is a coral pink, here she is. I also have Exposure and Susan if you need to see them but they are both pink without orange in it...

Donna
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
10 years ago
...and Exposure...
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
10 years ago
..and Susan..
Edie
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you Donna, it does help to see all the pictures close together. I'm leaning towards Exposure as the closest match. Is that the only one in this color family whose petals curl back like that? My NOID has the same shape, and an unmarked green eye like your Exposure. The color on mine looks midway between your Vera and Exposure.

I do actually have a Vera, but it hasn't bloomed since 2011 when the bulb was new. It's still recovering from nearly freezing next to a single-paned window.

I went through a lot of older threads on here too. Ruled out Pink Diamond because I don't think mine is that strongly textured, and it's missing the red eye ring. Pink Diamond reminds me of seersucker fabric. Ruled out Candy Floss, mine has a bigger white star and only has a little darker feathering. Ruled out Amalfi because of bloom size.
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
10 years ago
Edie,

Here is another picture of my Exposure showing that there is quite a bit of white mixed in with the pink. My bulb is absolutely huge with several offsets. It's one of my favorite pinks that always puts out at least 2 scapes with 4 flowers each. It hasn't decided to bloom yet this season but looks really plump.
I was looking back at my pictures and I've had mine since Dec. 2009 and actually the first year it bloomed the flowers weren't nearly as beautiful as subsequent years. Exposure gets better with age; wish I could say that too!

Donna
HU-17497
10 years ago
Donna, I think we all wish we could say that, and now it looks like I'm going to have to add exposure to my wish/want list.
Edie
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes! That looks just like my mystery bulb. The way the white star gets fainter but continues to the petal tips - that's what I was trying to articulate. I also noticed that your photos show random notches in some of the petals, near the tips. Mine has that trait too. I also found a thread where you mention that all the flowers come out at once. Well, as of tonight my bulb has four blooms open on scape #1 and two open on scape #2. The scapes are the same height and it's producing the same bouquet effect I see in yours.
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
10 years ago
I'm happy you were able to Identify her! Now you can give her a proper label!!

Donna
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
10 years ago
The person who sent me my H. Lagoon last year said that it may have been mixed up with H. Bestseller. A Google search turned up many different photos, pink with white. Another option to consider.
K

Here is a link that might be useful: RHS H. Bestseller
Edie
Original Author
10 years ago
Kristi, does yours look like Bestseller? I've never bought one as Bestseller so I can't compare side-by-side, just through photos.

The store where I bought it gets them from Netherland Bulb Company. At my request, the employee who ordered the bulbs showed me the catalog (no prices). There wasn't anything quite like it in the photos. They did carry Bestseller, but their photo looked like the one on the emaryllis site so I didn't think it was a match. I don't know which Bestseller photos to believe. The range of images suggests several different bulbs are running around under that name.