How to Grow Beautiful Amaryllis

Amaryllis' are beautiful, tropical bulb specimens that are easy to grow and are very rewarding with proper care. Knowing how to grow Amaryllis is the key to having a beautiful show. Their abundant flowers are great for indoor pieces, outdoors in beds and also in cut flower arrangements.

Amaryllis bulbs can be quite expensive so you want to gain plenty of knowledge about the growth and care for the bulbs before spending lots of money on them. Even though Amaryllis' are expensive, proper care and maintenance they will flourish heavily and make them worth every cent spent.

Amaryllis can be grown indoors for a beautiful indoor arrangement or outdoors in a bed that will put on a gorgeous show. Since they are a bulb plant they will need to be planted in a flower box, bed or general location in which they can freely multiply.

Scientific Name:

Hippeastrum

Common Names:

Amaryllis

Dutch Amaryllis

Description:

Amaryllises are beautiful, tropical plants that are grown from bulbs. They are close to a hundred different colors, patterns and species of Amaryllis. Plant a bed of the same color or multiple colors to create a beautiful garden with lots of color and foliage.

Amaryllis produce large, trumpet shaped flowers on a 1-2 foot stem with heavy strap-shaped leaves. They remind me much of a tulip but with much thicker foliage.

Flowers:

Amaryllis' will bloom and burst out beautiful, trumpet shaped blooms. There are usually 3-6 on a stalk. Colors range from white to black. Pinks, peaches, reds, blues, stripes and combo colors are a usual favorite. The colors are endless with Amaryllis'.

Elements:

Light: Prefers full sun or indirect bright light

Temperatures: Does well in day temperatures of 70-80 degrees F and nights as cool as 60 degrees F.

Water: Partly dry to dry. Allow soil to dry in between watering.

Care and Maintenance:

As with any bulb plant, Amaryllis' need to be planted in a well drained area. If planted in a pot, use a well-drained potting mix and insure proper drainage holes in the pot you are using. If planted outside in a flower bed, also insure well drained area that does not contain too much water run-off and contains well drained soil as well.

If planted in pots, repot after new leaves begin to grow after dormancy. Be sure not to damage leaves and try not to repot while blooming. It's best to repot in late fall. If you plant to dig up your Amaryllis bulbs, be sure to store them in a dry area during the summer. Using a burlap sack or paper bag works great as with and other bulb storage.

After your Amaryllis' bloom, removed faded blossoms and water as needed and fertilize monthly while leaves remain green.

Fertilizing:

Fertilize Amaryllis' monthly during active months, Do not fertilize during dormant months. You can resume fertilizing once the leaves and flowers begin to develop again.

Propagation:

Propagate by dividing new bulbs from the parent plant.

Common Pests, Problems and Diseases:

No common pests or diseases. Just be sure not to over water your Amaryllis, as you can cause the bulb to rot if there is to much moisture.