All About Amaryllis
Last year was my first season growing specialty amaryllis for the holidays and now I am totally hooked! These amazing bulbs are actually a tropical plant, but bloom just in time for the winter season.
What are Amaryllis?
Native to Africa, this plant originates from a bulb and was brought to Europe in the 1700’s. Nowadays, it is commonly grown as a houseplant. To do this bulbs, are tricked into going dormant during the summer months and blooming in the winter time. This makes them the perfect gift to bring some color into our cold, dark months in the Northern Hemisphere!
Care Tips
Amaryllis are pretty straight forward and require little care to thrive. When you purchase the bulbs from our website you can choose from different colors and flower forms (double, single).
If you get just the bulbs when you receive those, you will want to plant them into a planter with drainage holes. Fill the container 1/2 full, place the bulb in soil, add more soil in, but leave the top of the bulb above the soil. Amaryllis grow roots from the bottom and sprout better if the top is left above the soil.
Place in a south facing window and water after planting. They like temperatures from 70-80 degrees. The amaryllis only needs water when the soil completely dries out. You do not want to over water, as the bulbs will rot. After a few weeks you will begin to see green shoots coming up from the bulbs. In other three to four weeks you should see your first flower bud!
The bulbs we get at the farm are jumbo and will produce many stems and lots of flowers. The flower heads are 6-7” large when fully open. As the flowers bloom and fade, just clip the dead flower heads off and your bulb will continue to bloom for another few weeks. When you stop seeing flower buds, your bulb is done blooming for the year.
After Bloom Care
Once your bulb is done blooming continue watering when dry and let the green foliage grow big and tall. Come the end of May, you can even put your bulb outside for the summertime. Just make sure it is not getting too wet, as it will rot.
When October rolls around, clip the foliage off about two inches above the bulb and bring indoors. Stop watering at this point so the bulb goes dormant for a few weeks. After eight or so weeks begin watering and you bulb will bloom all over again! These bulbs can be kept for years and all you will need to do is put into a larger pot as the bulb grows larger.
Why Are these a Great Gift?
Amaryllis are a great hostess gift, as they are a gift that keeps on giving. They will bloom most of the winter and then can be saved for years and years to come. They are all in the perfect holiday colors of red, white, and pink. I hear all the time that people do not like flowers because they just die, well these amaryllis will bloom for weeks! The bulbs that I get in are also much larger than the ones at the box stores, this means bigger flowers and more blooms which is always an added bonus.
If you would like to pre-order your amaryllis bulbs or an amaryllis planter check out our Holiday Pre-Order.
