AMARYLLIS

My first memory of Amaryllis is from early marriage.

I walked into my mother-in-laws kitchen on Christmas

There atop her refrigerator

Sat the biggest flower I had ever seen.

It was tall

Really tall

Almost touching the ceiling.

And the blooms were ENORMOUS

Five or six inches across.

Now…John’s mother was a great gardener.

But really….this was ridiculously impressive.

Which of course, meant I had to have one.

Her’s had come as a boxed kit.

Pot – soil  and bulb in a simple cardboard box.

You will see them everywhere this time of year.

There are many varieties

Single, doubles and my favorite Hybrid Dutch Amaryllis

Once again, my source is k.van Bourgondien

For years I only ordered a soft pink called Apple Blossom.

The last few Christmases my choice has been Black Pearl

It’s a velvety deep red.

This year I’m on to Moonlight.

We’ll see.

But really they are all glorious.

Pinks, reds, white, salmon and lime green.

Endless choices.

The cardinal bulb rule applies here, too.

The bigger the bulb the bigger the bloom.

Hybrid Dutch Amaryllis are big.

As big as my hand.

They are simple to plant.

Choose a pot that is just slightly bigger than the bulb.

I use 6″ clay pots.

This plant is top-heavy so the clay helps to stabilize it.

Hydrate everything before planting.

Soak the pots

And just the roots of the bulb

For a bit

Put a couple of inches of soil in the bottom of the pot.

Then the bulb.

The stem and the tip 1/3 of the bulb should be above soil level

So….I usually have to play with it a bit to get the right amount of soil in the bottom.

Pack the soil around the edge of the bulb.

If possible water from the bottom by using a saucer or tray.

These bulbs have several “layers”

You want to make sure that you don’t get water inside those layers.

Or your bulb will rot!

Place in a location where it will get some sun.

But not all day.

Over the course of the next several weeks it will begin to grow.

And grow.

When Elliott was little we always put a yard stick in the pot.

Each day we would check to see how much it had grown.

Most days it was an inch or so.

You should get between 1 and 3 stems spread over a month or more.

Each stem will have 4 or 5 blooms.

Once they start to bloom move them away from the sun

The blooms will last longer that way.

Some will bloom as late as Valentine’s Day

Depending upon when they are planted.

Though Amaryllis are thought of as a Christmas plant.

I really like them to start blooming after the holidays.

That way when all the decorations are gone

And the house feels a bit naked.

Flowers appear.

One more thing

This is a splendid plant to share

They bring JOY!

Take care,

Gail