Amaryllis ‘Wedding Dance’
So you’ve purchased or were given a gorgeous Amaryllis, and you love it. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are fabulous winter bloomers from the southern hemisphere. There are many species and cultivars and they can be bold and showy or delicate and ethereal. The long lasting flowers can show off for several weeks, and top size bulbs can produce multiple stems.
Amaryllis ‘Evergreen’, with smaller spidery flowers
The big question is: What should you do with your Amaryllis after the holidays to keep these plants happy and encourage them to bloom in the future? Here are some tips.
- When the last flowers fade, remove the flowering stem(s). Do not let seeds form, as this will draw strength from the bulb and may inhibit flowering.
- Leave the green strap-like foliage on the plant to provide nourishment to the bulb and continue to give it bright light. Once warm weather arrives, you can put your plants outdoors in a spot that gets morning sun. Water only as needed. Your bulbs should be in a well drained soil mix. Do not keep soil constantly wet.
Be sure to leave the upper third of the bulb above the soil line when you pot up.
- In mid-late summer (August) introduce your plants to dormancy. They need a 2-3 month period of darkness and cool 45-50F temperatures, and during this spell, withhold water. This is the challenging part: some of us have basements that remain dark and cool, but most of us do not. Another option is to use your refrigerator, and this is where a spare fridge is handy. Place the potted Amaryllis inside, minus any dead foliage. Or, unpot your Amaryllis bulb, cut off any greenery and place in a bag with some wood shavings or dry sterile potting soil and leave to chill for at least 6-8 weeks. In mid-late October, remove your bulbs out of their chill cycle, pot them up using a well drained soil mix and water once. Move into a sunny warm spot and do not water again until you see signs of green shooting. Sometimes it takes awhile to wake up the bulbs. Bottom heat can help.
More tips:
4. The choicest varieties need to be purchased from reputable bulb vendors in the fall. If you want blossoms in time for the December holidays, choose bulbs that have the distinction that they were grown in the southern hemisphere, rather than having been imported from northern regions such as the Netherlands. Give yourself 6- 8 weeks lead time. Often, these southern hemisphere grown bulbs will be labeled specifically as “Christmas Amaryllis”. Bulbs imported from Northern Europe will still bloom this winter, but they take longer to come into flower. No worries…it’s still delightful to have them burst into bloom in midwinter!
5. After the big chill, be sure to pot up in a sterile, well drained potting mix with the top third of the bulb above the soil surface. Use a pot that’s only 2-3″ wider than your bulb(s). You could plant multiple bulbs in a large pot for a dramatic display but pack tightly, and a large container will require ample space in a sunny spot to grow on. Remember Amaryllis bulbs do not mind being pot bound. It may be 3-4 years before it is necessary to move up into bigger pots, and/or divide.
Why plant Buddleia when you can grow Vitex? Mid summer blue-lavender fragrant spires begin in July and carry on through August on bushy plants with attractive palmate foliage. Here in the northeast, our colder winters don’t allow plants to become as large (10-15′) as the data says, since they do get some winter die back. Vitex blooms on new growth, so it can be cut back hard each spring to grow into a perfectly sized 5-6′ flowering shrub. And yes, it is a great addition to a pollinator garden as it is a favorite of butterflies and bees.
