Amaryllis, the big, bold, beauty that brings the outdoors in with a host of spectacular features, perfect for your home each winter! Many Indoor flowering bulbs, including amaryllis, can be enjoyed in your home in a vase or pot. When the weather turns cooler and the outdoor garden jobs become less and less, try your hand at indoor flowering bulbs. They are a satisfying way to keep the gardening bug at bay. They are also a perfect choice for creating beautiful displays and scents in your home.
Growing different bulb varieties, grown for the indoors is a super way to introduce vibrant splashes of colour and scent to your living space. Plus, due to them not being a cut flower, they last so much longer!
There are various bulbs which you can grow successfully. We are going to concentrate on Amaryllis today, however, you can also look into crocus and paperwhites.
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)
Amaryllis flowers are big, blousy and long-lasting. They are easy to grow too – with very little care and attention, these sturdy, strong bulbs will grow a robust stem before bursting an abundance of huge-great blooms gloriously standing proud.
Amaryllis are iconic to the festive period. Many lucky people receive one for Christmas as a gift each year, planting it in the new year and have it flowering well for Valentines day. However, if you treat yourself and plant in late October, typically the flowering in time will take place during the festive season. If you buy more than one bulb, you can plant them at two-week intervals to extend your Amaryllis display into the New Year.
There is no need to prepare or pre-chill your Amaryllis bulbs. By October they are ready to get growing soon after being planted. You can grow them in any ordinary multipurpose, then just add water and off they go!
How to grow Amaryllis bulbs
- Choose a pot and place 4 inches of soil in the bottom of it. Place your bulbs on top of the soil and if there is an inch of the pot below the bulb and 2 to 3 inches on either side, it’s the right size. Ensure your pots have drainage holes and a saucer for any excess water.
- The bulb should be planted with an inch of the neck exposed.
- Pack compost around the sides of the bulb so that it is surrounded by compost.
- Firm the compost down and water in.
- Amaryllis like a warm, bright windowsill. Usually, you will start to see a growing tip after 2-4 weeks. Although sometimes it can take a little longer due to warmth and light.
- Once in full growth, water your Amaryllis only when the surface of the compost is dry. Avoid letting it sit in soggy compost for too long.
Top Tips For Growing Amaryllis
- Amaryllis make great gifts. Either pot them up a few weeks in advance and give them already in growth. Or gift them dormant and let your lucky friend get all the satisfaction of growing their magnificent beauty themselves!
- After flowering, you can keep your Amaryllis bulb for next year. Place the potted bulb close to a window, in a shed or in a garage next to a window. Water only occasionally during the summer season and allow the stem to fully die back and leaves to form. The following autumn, the leaves may die back, at which point you can cut them off and position them in pride of place.
