Amaryllis Bulbs

Amaryllis Bulbs are such amazing plants. A lot of stores sell the bulbs in the fall right before the holidays. I have had them before but the one I have this year has out done it's self. The bulb usually comes already planted in a small pot. With in days it starts to grow a flower stalk with a few leaves following. Usually within a month the flower stalk will have 4 trumpet shaped flowers that last for several weeks. That is what I expected this one to do. I bought 2 bulbs but one has flowered much sooner than the other that I am still waiting on. I thought I was buying a bright pink one and a red one. Boy did I get a surprise when the first one was white. Not only was it white it was a double or maybe you call it a triple.

This is what the pots and bulbs looked like when I bought them on December 19, 2018. The flower stalks are just starting to emerge.

I took these photos on December 31.

I took these photos on January 4, 2019.

And I took these photos on January 7. You can see the flower talk has the large part where the 4 flower buds will come from. The strap like leaves can be seen lower down. At this point is was 13 inches tall from the top of the pot to the top of the flower bud.  As you can see the second pot isn't growing as fast.

This is the first flower to start opening on January14.

This is how it looked by the next day, January 15. It was one of the most beautiful flowers I think I have ever seen.

You can see I had to stake the flower when it opened as it seemed really top heavy. I used an old metal curtain rod and some string. If you do this be sure to not tie the string to tight as it could cut into the flower stalk. There is a second flower stalk to the side of the first one. At this time it was 21 inches from the top of the pot to the top of the flowers. Once the flowers have died off and the leaves really come out you have a nice houseplant for the rest of the year. About July or August you should stop watering it and let the leaves die back. Take the bulb and let it 'rest' in a dark, cool, place in the house. Don't let it freeze or get to hot. After 6 weeks in the dark bring it out, replace the old soil with new and start watering. It should bloom again in about another 6 weeks. I have kept the for several years and have heard of other people keeping this a lot longer. Now I am waiting to see what the other one will look like when it blooms. I'll let you know.