#5 Amaryllis

 Happy New Year! 2019 is going to be a fantastic year. Spent the morning vacuuming up pine needles, tossing wrapping paper and stacking boxes. Our favorite boxes are the ones with the pretty flowers – you know the ones, they are marked “Amaryllis”. Bet a bunch of you got similar boxes since they were very plentiful at a number of stores this season.

Amaryllis – The Early years

Our first experience with these wonderful flowers occurred many, many years ago. I had gone shopping Dec. 26 to cash in on all the 50% sales (this was a time when sales only happened after Christmas!) At a local nursery, I found some marked-down Amaryllis. Since I had no idea what they were or how hard they were to grow, I only grabbed one.

The madman opened the box and began laughing hysterically. “Hope you didn’t pay much for this’” he hooted. I thought he was only being himself, but a look inside the box told a different story – it was empty. I had taken the box for the display bulb. No wonder the box was so light!

We returned the empty box to the nursery, much to their delight (they must have thought we were idiots). They even gave us two boxes of Amaryllis for our trouble. We dutifully planted the bulbs as directed, watered and waited. Wow! The madman absolutely loved the flower (I swear the man is part crow); I have to admit I did too, and a new fascination started.

The Taxonomy of Amaryllis

So what are Amaryllis bulbs and where do they come from? The madman can’t just enjoy their beauty; he needs to know more about their taxonomy. The first thing he found in his research was the question “When is an Amaryllis not an Amaryllis?” This question can lead to fights at a Botanists’ Convention, but the madman needed to know the answer so he read on. The answer is “when it’s a Hippeastrum.” Talk about going crazy!

 As he explains it, when European explorers branched out into the new world they discovered a very beautiful flower in South Africa. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus (you know, the plant guy who named everything) created the name Amaryllis belladonna. Botanists believe this is the true Amaryllis.

The Rise of Hippeastrum

About a century later, the Europeans worked their way into western South America where they discovered the Hippeastrum. This flower looks like an Amaryllis, but it is much easier to grow commercially. Therefore all the Amaryllis you see for sale during the holiday are actually Hippeastrums. Think about it, would you give a gift you can’t pronounce? Now you know more than you need to know about a beautiful bloom. What you really want to know is what to do with the contents of that box you got for a present.

Growing These Bulbs

Most gift boxes come with pot, soil and directions. How easy is that? The madman likes to replicate natural environments so he likes to make Amaryllis bulbs believe that the rainy season has begun. He soaks the bulbs in water overnight. We plant the bulbs as directed; fill the pot with soil (if it is a coir disk, you will have to soak it in warm water). The bulb top should be just above soil surface.

Keep the soil moist, but avoid getting water on the bulb as this can cause it to rot. You will notice that it needs more water as it grows. Don’t let the pot dry out. Between 4-8 weeds after planting, you can expect some pretty fancy flowers. The flowers are long lasting, but if you have a vase that you particularly like, feel free to cut the blooms – they will last longer in water than they do on the plant.

Aftercare of the Bulbs

As the flowers fade, many people throw them out. We don’t. We cut back the spent flower stalks 2” from the bulb and keep the pot in a sunny window. We water and fertilize the pots throughout the rest of the winter. When danger of frost has passed, we move the bulbs outside. Since the quality of the flower depends on the health of the bulb, our Amaryllis receive lots of care in the form of fertilizer, water and sunlight.

We used to bury the potted bulbs in a sunny spot in the garden. At the end of the summer we would dig them up, turn them on their side and let them dry. When dry, we cut the remaining greens to about 2” and moved them into a dark spot in the basement. We would move them up to the light 6 weeks before we wanted some blooms.

The Amaryllis Bed

Last year we experimented with an Amaryllis garden bed – we took individual bulbs out of their pots and buried them in a rich soil in full sun. The madman carefully watered and fertilized this bed – he spent a great deal of time fighting off the slugs looking for a free meal. In slug culture, Amaryllis leaves are considered a delicacy.

As cool weather approached, we lifted the bulbs and let the leaves dry out. When everything was dry, we placed each bulb in a brown paper lunch bag for the dormancy period-the bags were put in the back of a cool, dark closet. As we pot them, we do look for the smallest pot for each Amaryllis bulb as they like to be pot bound when blooming.

Of course, we got so busy with the fall garden, Thanksgiving and Christmas that we have only moved two bulbs into the house so far. Both are sending up shoots, but the quality of flowering is unknown as yet.

Ziva Paperwhites for Forcing

The Amaryllis doesn’t own the indoor bulb market. Next to the Amaryllis, you will also find boxes of Paperwhites – a type of narcissus that is easy to force for winter bloom. You may also find Hyacinth and other spring bulbs for indoor blooms.

Paperwhites are wonderful – their fragrance can lift your spirits in the dark of winter. These bulbs are easy to grow, but because the stems are tall, they need support to keep from flopping over. Some kits come with a hurricane bowl which helps keep the plants upright. If you have a box of Paperwhites, it may or may not come with a bulb support. If it has none, you will need to make your own or put up with beautiful, fragrant, floppy flowers.

As easy as they are to plant and grow, stop with the first year. Natives of the Mediterranean, these bulbs are only hardy in zone 10. Not only that, they need lots of food to store up enough energy to re-bloom and generally will only do so every two to three years. Way too much trouble for the madman although he is considering some experimentation with this year’s bulbs.

Other Bulbs for Indoor Bloom

Other bulbs are available for indoor blooming – these are generally the spring flowering bulbs that require a period of cold or freezing temperatures to bloom. If you want to try, you need to buy pre-chilled bulbs or chill your own. The madman recommends a wonderful book, Bulb Forcing by Art Wolk. Mr. Wolk is an award-winning writer, speaker and photographer, but most important he is the recipient of TWO Philadelphia International Flower Show Grand Sweepstakes. The man knows his bulbs and his book is a fun read and an excellent resource.

We have just turned to page 95 of Mr. Wolk’s book – looks like we need hot cocoa cause I think we will be doing some reading this afternoon.