One of the most alluring flowers we can grow in our homes is the amaryllis (Hippeastrum), a large bulb that produces an equally enormous flower. Now is the time to plant your amaryllis if you want to see it in bloom this Christmas.
One Plant, Three Formats
You can find amaryllis in 3 formats: some stores offer them all.
- Bare bulbs: This is the least expensive way to obtain them. The bulb is sold without soil or pot, in bulk. You choose your bulb (usually in a variety of colors) and pot it yourself, at home. And who doesn’t have a few pots and some potting soil lying around?
- The kit: This is the most conventional format, often the only one offered in non-specialized stores. You’ll find a cardboard box, often with a handle, featuring a photo of an amaryllis. Inside, you’ll find a bulb, a pot and some potting soil. You take it home, that’s all.
- Ready to go: The nursery has planted the bulb themselves and it’s in bud or in bloom. You take it home and have instant flowers. This is the most expensive format.
Who to Give It To?
Of course, it’s fun to give yourself the gift of a beautiful amaryllis, but you can also give it to someone else. The kit, in particular, makes an elegant gift for hosts, very appropriate for holiday parties. But the same kit will still be on the market closer to Christmas, so it can be given as a Christmas gift too. Give it to a child aged 6 to 12, for example: he’ll be fascinated by this gigantic floral stem that seems to appear out of nowhere. But an amaryllis will please people of all ages.
Amaryllis make an excellent gift for children. They can choose the bulb themselves, then prepare the gift at home by painting a pot in the colors of their choice. All they have to do is place the bulb in the pot and wrap it up. A great gift for Grandma or Grandpa.
Caring for an Amaryllis
Choose a terracotta or plastic pot with drainage holes, about 5 to 7 cm (2-3 inches) wider than the bulb. Pour potting soil into the bottom, about half the height of the pot. Place the bulb, tip up, roots down, and fill in the gaps with potting soil. The bulb doesn’t need to be completely covered with potting soil: the top part can remain exposed.
Water moderately at first, then normally as soon as the bulb starts to grow, moistening the soil as soon as it feels dry to the touch. The flowers are huge and trumpet-shaped: they can be red, orange, pink, white, yellow, green or bicolored, single or double. Flowering lasts about 2 weeks… and many bulbs produce a second flower stalk just as the first is about to wither.
Habituellement, la tige florale sort en premier et les feuilles poussent plus tard. Il n’est pas nécessaire d’exposer la plante à la lumière pendant la floraison, donc on peut la placer là où elle sera la plus évidente: dans l’entrée, dans le salon, etc.
After Flowering
From now on, the bulb is no longer in flowering mode, but in “preparation for next flowering” mode. Cut off the flower stalk (but not the leaves!) and place the bulb in front of a sunny window. The leaves will elongate, and no doubt others will join them. Fertilize with an all-purpose fertilizer, according to instructions. Maintain this regime throughout winter, spring and summer.
To stimulate the next flowering, it may be necessary to let the bulb sleep for a while. So, in September, cut off watering completely. When the foliage turns yellow, cut it back. The bulb is now dormant. It’s usually placed out of sight in the basement. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to put the bulb in the fridge! It may even kill it! Room temperature is just right for this plant’s dormancy.
After about three months, start watering again. With a little luck, your amaryllis will be in bloom in as little as 4 weeks!
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil on November 18, 2006.
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