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January 5, 2015 · 5 Comments

Amaryllis in the Morning

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'Exotica' amaryllis

‘Exotica’ amaryllis

I’ve been the recipient of several homeless houseplants over the past couple of years, so I’m hesitant to add too many more to my collection. But when the folks at Longfield Gardens offered me (and several other garden writers) a free amaryllis kit this fall, I was happy to give it a try, and am surprised by how truly stunning the amaryllis is turning out to be.

The kit came with a whopping big bulb, a cute tin container, some soil, mulch and instructions. Back in November, the kit arrived, and I potted it up on Nov. 17. Per the instructions, I gave it a pretty thorough watering, and that was probably the last time I watered it. In a few weeks, the bloom stalk appeared and it grew so fast that I started to measure it. One day it was 11 inches, then 12-1/2, then 17. It topped out at just over 20 inches without the blooms.

amaryllis plantI was hoping the bulb would bloom in time for Christmas, but it started blooming about a week later. The bulb was located in my kitchen sink window, which is the sunniest spot I have in December, but possibly not as warm as the bulb would have liked.

The blooms are a delicate cream color with streaks of yellow and apricot. I’ve been posting a few shots on Instagram and it’s fun to see how the Instagram filters change the look of the bulb. (The photo above is without any filtering.)

The blooms should last another week or so. There’s also a second stalk coming off the bulb which looks like it will bloom after this one fades. You can keep amaryllis bulbs for use the next winter. This involves removing the flower stalks and setting the bulb and its leaves in a sunny spot over the winter before moving it outside in the summer to build up the nutrition the bulb needs to bloom again.

For more information about forcing bulbs, check out the November/December 2014 issue of Northern Gardener. There is a fine article by Margaret Haapoja on which bulbs to force into bloom and how to do it.

 

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Comments

  1. Debbie Bell says

    January 5, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    I have 12 of them each on a different stage of the yearly cycle so that one blooms every month. They are stunning when in flower and I have different colors. They are pretty easy to look after and rebloom reliably. They definitely help get my gardening ‘kick’ in winter!

  2. Mary Schier says

    January 5, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    That sounds fantastic. I will definitely be growing amaryllis again.

  3. Indie says

    January 11, 2015 at 6:52 am

    Very pretty! I have an amaryllis blooming away now as well. It’s nice to have something blooming in winter!

Trackbacks

  1. Gift Ideas for Gardeners Who Have EverythingNotes from Northern Gardener says:
    November 17, 2015 at 5:55 am

    […] for Forcing. Many garden centers stay open through the holiday season and offer baskets of prechilled bulbs often in pretty baskets or containers that will brighten up any holiday home. For a gardener who is […]

  2. Garden Chores for December - Minnesota State Horticultural Society says:
    July 21, 2021 at 9:49 am

    […] for a beautiful porch pot. While you are at it, how about buying a poinsettia or a big, beautiful amaryllis to bloom around the New […]

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