How to care for Amaryllis – The Flower of Christmas!
Christmas is my favorite holiday. Getting together with family, eating great food, giving and receiving gifts…speaking of which, last year, my mother-in-law gave my wife and I an amaryllis for Christmas. I’ve been familiar with amaryllis in the past, as we’ve sold amaryllis flower bulbs at Gurney’s for a while now, but I’d never got one for myself for some reason. Since receiving one last Christmas, I’ve been in love with amaryllis ever since. It’s an iconic Christmas flower, and since Christmas is my favorite holiday, amaryllis has become one of my favorite flowers!
The striking display of huge red flowers will impress either as a gift or as a centerpiece on your holiday table. Put simply, no other indoor flower compares with amaryllis for beauty and ease of growth.
When you order amaryllis from Gurney’s Seed & Nursery, it will arrive as a dormant bulb. Snap it out of this sleepy condition by placing it in a warm, well-lit area (68-70F). Water the bulb sparingly until it stems and leaves emerge, then gradually increase the amount of water you give it. Six weeks after its arrival, you’ll have blooms!
When the blooms fade, continue regular watering and feeding to maintain the foliage, which will feed the bulb for next year’s bloom. Then, about 16-18 weeks before you want to see blooms (around Labor Day for Christmas bloom), stop watering and let the foliage die back. Six to eight weeks before you want it to bloom, remove the bulb from the soil, cut off the dead foliage, and strip off any loose scales from the bulb. Repot in a clean container with the upper two-thirds of the bulb above the soil.
Repeat steps as provided above to draw the plant out of dormancy; about six weeks later, your amaryllis will reward you with stunning blooms!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from your friends at Gurney’s Seed & Nursery!