How to grow Hippeastrum / Amaryllis (instructions provided by Longfield Garden)

• Select the right pot and use good soil.
• Amaryllis have long stems and big flowers. A heavy pot with a wide base will help the plant stay upright. Choose a pot that is about 2” wider than the bulb. If you are planting several bulbs in one container they can be planted about an inch apart.
• Use a high-quality, sterile growing mix (to avoid fungus gnats). Moisten the soil, fill the pot a little more than half full and set the bulb on top. Add more soil, leaving the top 1/3 of the bulb exposed.
• After you plant your bulbs, water well to help settle them into their pots. Then keep the soil barely moist, applying no more than ¼ cup of water per week.
• For best results, grow your amaryllis in a relatively cool room (60-65°F) with bright, indirect light. The first thing to emerge from the bulb is usually a bud. Leaves and additional stems will follow.
• Rotating the pot every few days will help keep the stems straight.

What to do with Hippeastrum / Amaryllis flowers

• Depending on the size of the bulb, you can expect one to three stems, each with three to five flowers. All of the stems may come out at once, or they may emerge over a period of two to three weeks.
• As with all fresh flowers, cool temperatures will extend their life. Amaryllis also make excellent cut flowers. Cut the stems right before the buds are ready to open and display them in a vase with greens or other seasonal blooms.
• Use scissors to clip off faded blossoms. Once the stem has finished blooming, use a knife to make a clean cut about one inch above the bulb.

How do I get Hippeastrum / Amaryllis to rebloom?

Longfield makes a good point: An amaryllis bulb costs no more than a supermarket bouquet. Yet many people find it hard to part with the bulb once the flowering season is over. If you wish, you can save the bulb and try getting it to bloom again next year. To learn more, read How to Get an Amarylllis Bulb to Rebloom

Getting what you want from your Hippeastrum / Amaryllis comes down to selection

Pay attention when ordering as to the number of bulbs you will receive and if they will arrive with a decorative pot, or as just bulbs with no planting materials. Some companies offer both large and small bulbs, the larger ones being more expensive, but produce more stems and flowers. Some high quality online Hippeastrum / Amaryllis online sources:

• Amaryllis and Caladium specifies time to bloom for each variety and has a short bloom-time category entitled “Southern Hemisphere Amaryllis.”
• Easy to Grow Bulbs offers a wide selection of Hippeastrum that bloom anywhere from five to 12 weeks. Examine each bulb’s description to learn specific bloom time.
• Leafari carries a good selection of Hippeastrum, each of which includes information about how many weeks it typically takes for bloom.
• Longfield Gardens offers a big selection of Hippeastrum, with each early-blooming variety labeled “blooms for Christmas.”
• Van Englen has a large selection of Hippeastrum, with categories clearly labeled “Christmas Flowering” along with varieties that bloom later.
• White Flower Farm offers Hippeastrum that make great gifts, as most include decorative containers. All bloom in January of February.

Modern day Hippeastrum hybrids are a lot more compact, reaching no taller than 24 inches. Their predecessors were repurposed varieties from the cut flower market, and were almost impossible to keep upright.  Hybrids have exploded in variety since the days of trussing up potted amaryllis. Today’s singles, doubles, outward-facing, ruffled, and bi-colored flowers; plus miniatures and multi-stemmed cultivars; make choosing just one nearly impossible.