Amaryllis Bulbs for the Holidays

One of the many great things about the holiday season is the abundance of Amaryllis bulbs available.    No matter how cold it is outside, you can get in touch with your inner gardener with the giant, exotic blooms of Amaryllis flowers.  Rarely in gardening does such a small amount of effort yield such dramatic results. 

Bulbs are available singly or in kits that contain a growing medium, pot, bulb and instructions.  I usually buy boxed kits and buy lots of them.  The kit bulbs generally bloom as profusely as more expensive bulbs.  To make a bold statement using Amaryllis flowers, place two or three potted bulbs in a large container such as an oblong wicker basket or a decorative ceramic or metal container. Cover the soil with Spanish moss.  You can even add a colorful bow.  Or, buy several bulbs and stagger the planting schedule over a period of weeks.  That way you can keep your favorite ceramic pot filled with blooms throughout the holiday season.  When potting the bulb, insert a thin bamboo stake alongside it so that once the plant gets tall, you can stake the stem with raffia or ribbon for support if needed. 

Potted bulbs make great gifts for the elderly who don’t need another doodad in a small apartment.  Older people and nursing home residents enjoy watching the plant grow as much as they enjoy the flowers.  The blooms last for weeks and once they finish, the plant can simply be thrown away, or you may keep it and try to get it to re-bloom next year.  Amaryllis flowers are great gifts before or after the holidays.  After the holidays, bulb prices are usually reduced and the bright “Red Lion” amaryllis makes a lovely Valentine’s gift.  Pot it in January and it should be near bloom by Valentine’s for a floral gift that is fresher and far more dramatic than the usual red roses that have traveled by plane from South America.  If you buy boxed kits after the holidays, look inside to make sure the bulb hasn’t already sprouted or flowered inside the box.

Amaryllis plants are tropical but have been hybridized by Dutch growers for many years.  Colors range from white to pink to red, with numerous variations in between. 

People often ask about getting a plant to boom a second time.  It is not difficult.  Here are instructions for next year’s bloom.

How To Re-Bloom an Amaryllis Bulb:

• Cut back the flower stalk after blooming, but allow the leaves to grow.  You may place your plant outdoors for summer in partial shade.
• Keep watered so that the soil is moist, but not wet.  You may fertilize it during summer months.
• Stop fertilizing in August. Reduce watering gradually and stop watering after three weeks.
• When it is time to bring plants indoors in September or early October, move your Amaryllis to a cool (55 to 60 degrees F), dark, dry place for six to eight weeks.  The plant needs this dormant rest period in order to re-bloom.  The foliage will likely turn yellow and die back.
• In November or later, move the pot to a warm, bright area and resume watering.  Do not repot since the plant likes to be somewhat pot bound. Be patient.  The plant should produce a green bud and eventually flower in about six weeks.

 





Three bulbs re-bloomed a year later.

These flowers came from a single bulb.