If you are a gardener chances are you have inherited a plant or two. This summer I have inherited a dozen. Two Clivia and ten Amaryllis bulbs.

The Clivia were my late mother in law’s. They had been living hidden in a corner of my father in law’s house. They were in a bit of a sorry state. I don’t think they had been re-potted in years and years. So I freed them from the broken plastic pots, literally rinsed and washed the Clivia and potted them up in better soil. They are looking better already.

The Amaryllis bulbs arrived in a box from Vero Beach, FL. I had a teary moment when I saw the return address, although I knew that they were coming north. They were the bulbs of one of my life-long favorite ladies of my life. She and her husband had been friends forever of my parents, and their daughters are still my friends. Yep, they were bulbs which arrived with a resurgence of a lifetime of lovely, happy memories.

Because of their hot August journey, when the bulbs arrived I soaked them overnight in seaweed extract in water. The next day I set about potting them up.

I actually didn’t have enough pots for these bulbs! Thank goodness for basic pots on sale at Walmart. I don’t need my Amaryllis bulbs in priceless cache pots, but they don’t do well in plastic pots, they have to be clay.

I did an Amaryllis headcount after potting these bulbs up and well…now I have two dozen! It’s going to be a crowded winter indoors! But they will fit somewhere along with the banana and lemon trees and christmas cacti! And every time I look at the bulbs and new to me Clivia, I will smile.

Happy gardening.