Amaryllis in Greek means to sparkle. There is a Greek myth that tells of how the flower came to be. There was a beautiful maiden named Amaryllis. Where Amaryllis lived there was a very handsome Shepherd who all the young maidens desired attention from. Especially Amaryllis. The handsome Shepherd was not interested in any of the young maidens. He was interested in his flowers and plants. He told them that whoever could bring him a flower he had never seen is who he would give his heart to. So Amaryllis went to the High Priestess and asked for advice. The High Priestess told her to take a golden arrow and pierce her heart. Then to go to the Shepherd’s house every day, taking the same path, until he notices her. Amaryllis followed the advice and took the same path for 29 days. Each day Amaryllis shed more and more blood on the way to the cottage and each day she was turned down. On the 30^th day while waking her same path, flowers brushed her feet that she had never felt before. She looked down and the flowers were the most beautiful blood red flowers she had ever seen. She picked an armful and rushed to the Shepherd’s cottage. When he opened the door he was amazed. The girl and the flowers were the mot beautiful things he had ever seen. He asked her name and she told him. He said he would name the flower Amaryllis. The Shepherd fell in love with Amaryllis. Her heart was healed instantly and they lived happily ever after.

Amaryllis have large showy blooms with green, strap- shaped leaves. The flowers are trumpet shaped and look similar to lilies. Stems can contain 1 or more blooms. Most are bright colors in shades of red, orange, and pink.   These flowers are native to tropical areas. The U.S. imports over 10 million a year mainly from South Africa and Holland. If kept indoors these flowers prefer bright, indirect sunlight.