Amaryllis Red Lion

Hippeastrum, in the family Amaryllidaceae, are what we know and grow as amaryllis. These are some of the easiest and most spectacular flowers you can grow, indoors or out. Fresh, large bulbs already contain the flower buds ready to spring up from their centers as soon as they touch soil.

Choose a small pot for growing amaryllis. These bulbs want to be pot bound. They should be planted with only about an inch between them and the sides of the pot. When planting, set them so that at least one third or, better still, half of the bulb is above ground.

Plant a sturdy stake beside the bulb at the same time as you pot up the bulb. Usually, there are three or four flowers at the top of a tall flower stalk. These flowers are heavy. Even though the stalk looks sturdy, it can bend and break under the weight of the flower heads.

Amaryllis White

Force them in a sunny window. Turn them every day to keep the flower stalk straight.

While they blossom, you can display them in rooms that are not too sunny. They don’t mind heated rooms. They do best in a temperature above 59 degrees F.

Flower buds usually grow before the leaves. After flowering, expect the leaves to appear. At this stage, they need all the light you can give them and plenty of water and fertilizer. Give them a vacation outdoors during the summer. In August or September of next year, allow them to dry out and go dormant. Then in November, they can be brought into flower again.

Amaryllis Aphrodite

Choose colors from bright red to white to soft bicolors. They are all spectacular in bloom and they are easy.

…Posted by Coach Anne, November 15, 2007---