Amazon Lily - Eucharis Grandiflora

I was torn between selecting sprekelia or eucharis for my favorite and in the toss-up chose Eucharis grandiflora or the alabaster Lily of the Amazon and I don’t regret it.

Bulbs of this “lily” may be ordered online from firms specializing in rare plants. Mine have blossomed twice and I am hoping that they will favor me again next April although last year seemed to be their year for multiplying and I divided them into six pots.

This native of the Colombian Andes is a handsome plant for the window garden. It has long stemmed basal leaves and clusters of dazzling white, trumpet-like blossoms with a perfume that’s subtle yet potent enough to permeate the house.

Being too busy to fuss over house plants, I give it no special care. It’s kept potted in a coarse, fibrous soil with charcoal and sand, in an east window with other amaryllids and watered whenever dry.

During spring and fall it’s fed once a month with liquid fertilizer and in winter (bi-weekly when blooming). In the summer, I set it out on a shelf in deep shade. When it looks thirsty, I give it a bath under the faucet, as red spiders hate that as much as the plant likes it.

The form and chaste lustrous white of the Amazon Lily are very distinctive. When it blooms I drop everything and call the neighbors in.

by Mary Keeley

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