Open the Box!
In a year when we are still reeling from the tragic human toll of a global pandemic, we must now also deal with the economic aftershocks. While it seems almost trivial to be concerned with the rising prices of non-essential …
Amaryllis gift and box kits explored
In a year when we are still reeling from the tragic human toll of a global pandemic, we must now also deal with the economic aftershocks. While it seems almost trivial to be concerned with the rising prices of non-essential …
When Emaryllis started the first Box Kit Bonanza way back in 2008, the offerings may have varied in the types and qualities of pots, media (the coir disc was already de riggeur), and of course bulb quality, but they all …
Emaryllis hasn’t always reported each attempt to get a desired cultivar into the gallery in great depth, but we have at least noted mislabeling frustrations in the effort to document ‘Cutting Edge’, an Israeli variety with few available photos online. …
With a worldwide pandemic in full swing, and shopping forays limited to fewer and mostly essential trips, the thought of any sort of Box Kit Bonanza initially seemed dim for 2020. Then again, both grocers and hardware stores where these …
Ten seasons ago, when Emaryllis did the first Box Kit feature on this site, it was done with a sense of whimsy combined with a “Consumer Reports” mentality. It led to both amazement (some of the performances were great) and …
Well, you might have guessed Emaryllis would do something like this. That is to say, “kill two birds with one stone” by buying a box kit to test out, and simultaneously buy an amaryllis (Hippeastrum) that is no longer in …
‘Jewel’ is a curious double amaryllis that doesn’t measure up in many ways to its more modern brethren. It’s been around for over twenty years, and it’s becoming harder to locate in the bulb trade. While so many other double …
Well, this was never meant to be a full-on box kit kind of season. Good thing, too. The results are in, and they do not speak well at all of the low end of the amaryllis market. So, here we …
Once again, despite being well versed in the (sometimes) wicked ways of the box kit world, Emaryllis has been weak in the face of glossy images lavished upon thin cardboard cartons. What can I say, marketing works. Ah, but …
Ahh, the final box kit of the season. This purchased at a local full service nursery a week later than the ‘Minerva‘ ‘Mambo’ kit, just as the weather was getting quite chilly. Since they were outdoors, under a shed roof …