The Blog

From now until Christmas I am going to try to blog once a week and share a DIY Decor tip to Brighten up your Holidays 🙂  First up, the Amaryllis Bulb!

We are about six weeks away from Christmas.  I don’t know if any of you have been out shopping lately but the Christmas displays and goodies are coming out.  While I was at home this past weekend I bought an Amaryllis bulb from Menards.  It is a very easy plant to grow, especially with the little kit provided.  Not only does it have a gorgeous winter bloom, but if you do it right, you can grow them year after year!

Here’s is my Amaryllis bulb below and what it hopefully will look like when it blooms!

The kit I purchased came with soil, a pot, and a bulb for $4.99.  You have to wait 6-8 weeks for it to bloom, but I’d say it’s well worth it!

After you plant your bulb, make sure to place it in a warm, bright location.  Direct sunlight is necessary for development of the stem.  You should water the bulb well at the time of planting  then not again until the stem appears, unless the pot completely dries out.  Excess moisture can rot the bulb.  Once the stem appears  gradually water more to keep the soil moist, but no more than every 3 days. Since the Amaryllis has long stems that are quite heavy, you may need to stake the plant to keep it from leaning.  In 6-8 weeks you should have gorgeous blooms.

After your Amaryllis is done flowering, cut the spent flowers off.  When all the blooms have been removed, cut the main stem off 2″ above the bulb.  You can place the plant in normal light and water as necessary, just enough to keep it from drying out.  Plant the Amaryllis outside as soon as night-time temperature are above 50, around June.  You can plant the pot directly in the soil if you wish, this protects the bulb from insects in the soil.  Water and fertilize like you would any other plant.  With the end of summer, the leaves may yellow or whither.  Bring the plant indoors before the first frost, I usually recommend sometime at the end of September.  Cut off any dead leaves, and re-pot if it was planted in the ground.  To get the bulb to flower again you must force it to go dormant.  Put the potted plant in a cool and dry place for 6-8 weeks.  Your cellar or basement would be a perfect place.  Do NOT water the bulb.

After your 6-8 weeks of dormancy are finished cut off any dead tissue and replace the top 2″ of soil in the pot.  Your amaryllis is now ready to grow again!  Place it back in directly light and care for it just as you did the year before.  If you care for your Amaryllis plant correctly you can have a beautiful plant for the holidays for many years to come.

Some of my favorite arrangements including Amaryllis…

1. Deep Red Amaryllis Bouquet from the Knot.

2. Christmas Corporate Decor for Wyffels Hybrids in 2011.

3. Pretty Peach Amaryllis Bouquet from Wedding Chicks.

Happy Growing!  I am hoping I planted my Amaryllis earlier enough to get blooms by Christmas.  If not, it will surely be a nice treat in the bitter January cold.

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