Amaryllis is the ultimate Holiday Season flower, making a powerful statement with its beautiful trumpet flowers and impressively large bulb. Ideal for indoor growing in colder climes, giving people who normally have to forego flower bulbs a chance to enjoy these beauties all winters around.
QUICK GUIDE
WHEN:
Indoors: Plant 4-8 weeks before desired blooming time
Outdoors: Plant in fall
WHERE:
Partial shade
Well-draining soil
WIDTH & DEPTH:
Indoors: 1” apart
Outdoors: 4” apart
Depth: Pointy end sticking out 1”
STORAGE:
When your amaryllis arrive and you can’t plant them immediately, it’s important to store them correctly: unpack them right away and put them in a dry place with plenty of air circulation, where the temperature is between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius.
GARDEN & CONTAINER PLANTING
Flower bulbs are tough cookies that are easy to grow, but one thing they hate is getting their feet wet: a bulb that is ‘bathing’ in water will rot in no time. So avoid soggy soil at all cost – this means places where you can still see puddles 5-6 hours after a rainstorm. Another thing you can do is to upgrade potentially soggy soil by adding organic material such as peat or manure. When it comes to planting bulbs in containers, the mantra is exactly the same: drainage-drainage-drainage. Get a pot or box with at least some drainage holes at the bottom.
Amaryllis need the sun to grow, but full sun can burn their leaves, so a place with dappled sunlight or some shade is ideal. To help the bulbs settle and grow roots quickly, it’s important to water them well after planting. After that they’ll need some light watering once the first green growths are starting to appear.
During blooming season, you generally don’t have to water your amaryllis, but you can water them when there hasn’t been any rain for 3-5 days.
After amaryllis have finished blooming, don’t cut the foliage straight away: through photosynthesis the leaves will create nutrients that the bulb will be needing for its next growing season. After a few weeks the foliage will automatically yellow and die back, and then you can remove it. Now the bulb will be going dormant, and won’t need any watering until next season.
HOW TO PLANT AMARYLLIS INDOORS:
Around 6 weeks before your intended blooming time, fill a sturdy pot two inches wider and a few inches taller than the bulb with well-draining soil.
Place the Amaryllis in the pot with their pointy end up and cover them with soil, but make sure 1” of the pointy end remains uncovered.
Amaryllis like to be close together, so if you plant more than one in a pot, keep about 1” between them.
Water well.
Place the pot in a sunny location, like a windowsill. Make sure to rotate the pot daily so the Amaryllis won’t start leaning over to one side.
When new green growth appears it’s time to start watering again, but just to keep the soil moist, not waterlogged.
After the amaryllis have bloomed don’t cut off the foliage. Leave it until it’s completely withered and yellow, then remove.
HOW TO PLANT AMARYLLIS IN YOUR GARDEN:
Find a spot with partial sunlight and well-draining soil.
Place the Amaryllis bulb in the soil with the pointy end up and cover them with soil, but make sure that 1” of the pointy end remains uncovered.
Amaryllis looks best in groups of 5-7 bulbs, with about 4” between each bulb.
Water well.
When new green growth appears it’s time to start watering again, but just to keep the soil moist, not waterlogged.
After the amaryllis have bloomed don’t cut off the foliage. Leave it until it’s completely withered and yellow, then remove.