Amaryllis for Christmas

Anyone can grow spectacular Amaryllis flowers that bloom at Christmas.  Amaryllis grow from bulbs that can be as large as your fist, and have flowers up to eight inches across, on tall sturdy stems. As the thick stems grow above the pot, they look like strange alien beings, and guests are apt to remark “what is that?”.

Once the blooms open up, the question is answered, as the flowers brighten the room.

Most Amaryllis will bloom after planting in six to eight weeks, so if you have less time before Christmas you can speed up the bloom time and buy an Amaryllis that is already growing in a pot, and that has stems emerging from the bulb. In late November or early December buy an Amaryllis with stems emerging for flowers for the holiday. The bulbs you can buy that are almost ready to bloom are usually for red or red and white flowers, though Amaryllis can be found in salmon, white and even lime green.

For beauty you can put some gardener’s marbles on top of the soil, set the pot in a sunny window, water once a week, and turn the pot a few times a week to keep the stalks growing straight up. 

By Terra Hangen