Oh yes!
I found a "after Christmas" bargain on Hipps!
A hybrid Hippeastrum at 33 cm circumference usually is very pricey- often upwards of $25-30.
I could inspect it before purchase: no soft spots, tips of leaf and bud starting to emerge, good color scales beneath 'dried' sheath.
A steal at $5 u.s. dollars.
I bought the two they had.
This one is shooting up! I have it in a bright southern windowsill (cool room, as much sun as winter can give) and I rotate it daily.
This one is a little slower...
That's a bud pushing out (closest to camera) and some leaves starting to emerge. It's on a heat mat to give it encouragement, with window sunlight and a bit of artificial plant lights at dusk. As the bloom stem and leaves emerge more, it will come off the heat pad and go to a cool room with high window light.
I passed on this one, although it's 'will to bloom' seems strong and I was confident it would do well. I just couldn't find windowsill space!
These (pictured below) I've bought on clearance frequently to pot up, get them growing, then give-away. The price is right (once as low as $4) and the store was great with me opening the boxes to inspect the bulb, as the boxes were easily closed again- not destroyed or ripped in any way- and another customer could choose it.
While they usually give good blooms, the blossoms are often smaller, with only one bloom, as the bulb is smaller.... often 18-22 cm.
Bulb circumference and health are directly responsible for size and amounts of blooms. If I couldn't inspect the bulb on these, I wouldn't purchase them this late in the season- if they've already sprouted to much inside the box, or totally dried up, it wouldn't bloom well or perhaps wouldn't wake up at all.
Obviously, these will be February blooms!
