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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Garden -> Amaryllis
 SHOWY TRUMPETS: THE
WINTER AMARYLLIS
By Niki Hayden
Just a decade ago, the standard holiday flower was the red poinsettia. This
tender beauty from Mexico has many good characteristics, but a heavy dose each December
can be cloying. Now there’s more to choose from. Winter gardening is
nearly as much work as outdoor summer gardening considering all the bloomers
that make their way through our front doors—but holiday bulbs take a place of
honor.
The large trumpet flower of the amaryllis has become a popular replacement
for the poinsettia.
Amaryllis, another tender beauty like the poinsettia, but from Peru, is
fool proof. With little effort, an amaryllis grows faster than a small
child. The tall, slender stalk appears to add inches to its stature each day.
Once in bloom, they can’t be beat for showy thrills.
EASY TO GROW
Velvety red is most popular for the holidays, but striped, pink, salmon, white and
even yellow amaryllis provide a break from the intensity of red throughout all
of December. The major caveat for amaryllis is that you must plant them at least
six weeks before you expect a bloom—and frequently they will take even longer,
eight to ten weeks.
Temperature plays a role in this. Keeping a bulb at 70 degrees will hasten
growth. A 50-degree room will slow the plant. The ideal temperature of the room
shouldn’t dip below 68 degrees.
Amaryllis bulbs come into the marketplace from October through November and
even in December. But top bulbs are usually snapped up sometime before
Thanksgiving. Each year, growers get bigger bulbs into the market, promising
more stalks and flowers.
ONE COLORADO CAVEAT
Growing an amaryllis in Colorado has one warning: putting it in a window may
be too cold at night and too scorching during the day. Keep your bulb away from
windows by several inches and never put it between the curtain and the window.
Take a close look to determine if the bulb is receiving direct rays in the
daytime. Except for these two extremes, growing the bulb is easy. And if you can
provide bright, indirect sun, your bulb will reward you with a stout, sturdy
stem.
Begin by soaking the roots--only the roots--in water for about a day. This
will provide an extra boost. Plant the bulb in a heavy clay pot so
that the tall stem will not tip over. Choose a pot with drainage holes and about
two inches extra in diameter around the bulb. Place a clay shard or small
pebbles in the bottom of the pot for drainage. Plant in a good all-purpose
planting soil. Allow one-third of the bulb, in addition to the neck, to sit
above the soil line. Water well.
When the bulb sends up a shoot, it’s time to water again. If there’s no
shoot, water within two weeks. Again, water thoroughly. Afterwards, water only
if the surface is dry. The amaryllis prefers dampish soil, but the bottom of
the clay pot will still be wet when the top has dried.
IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR AMARYLLIS BULB
After the bloom is spent, most bulbs are discarded. But if you’d like to
try and revitalize the bulb, here’s how: continue watering your amaryllis
plant and add weak fertilizer. In the summer, either let it grow in a
greenhouse, or plant the pot directly into a shady garden with filtered light.
Continue fertilizing. Eventually, the leaves will turn yellow at the end of
summer. Pull the pot out of the ground, cut off the yellowed leaves and water it
just enough to keep the bulb from shriveling.
As the days shorten, the bulb will send out a shoot. Now you can plant it in
new soil and begin the blooming process all over again. If your bulb sends out
leaves only with no shoot, it may not have had enough time to rejuvenate.
Continue watering with a weak fertilizer throughout the process of leafing out.
FORCING HARDY AND TENDER BULBS
Consider paperwhite narcissus for an easy display. These tiny white
daffodil flowers will grow quickly and are great for kids. Place the bulbs in a
shallow bowl on top of pebbles. Allow the water line to come just to the top of
the pebbles and the roots of the bulbs. Paperwhites are spent after their bloom
and must be discarded. Also, their strong, sweet smell may be overwhelming.
Spring bulbs such as tulips, crocus, grape hyacinths, daffodils, hyacinths
and iris reticulata (bulb iris) can be forced providing you chill them for their
required dormant period. They require at least 10 to 12 weeks of constant
chilling less than 50 degrees, perhaps at 40 degrees—but not freezing. An
ideal location is an unused refrigerator and some dedicated indoor gardeners
will designate several shelves in the family refrigerator. Since crocus last only a few days indoors (they prefer cooler temperatures), many indoor
gardeners plant a succession of bulbs so the bloom will last for weeks.
After dormancy, hyacinths, like paperwhites, will grow with their roots in
water. Traditionally, they are grown in wasp-waist vases where only the roots
can dangle in the water. They’ll take about three weeks in indirect light to
bloom. They’re also aromatic, with a strong, sweet smell.
All other bulbs are grown in potting soil of 75 percent peat moss and 25
percent perlite. It’s possible to buy shallow bulb trays at most garden
centers. Place a teaspoon of 0-20-0 fertilizer at the bottom of the pot. Water
well and wrap the pots in newspaper to keep them from drying out. Check them
from time to time and water again when necessary. Eventually you’ll see roots
coming out from the soil. Bring them into the light.
You may also place the bulbs in a paper bag for 12 weeks and then plant them
in pots. Keep them at temperatures below 50 degrees until you see roots. Then
bring them into the light.
These spring-blooming bulbs may be planted later in the garden. Their
strength has been sapped, so don’t expect them to recharge the first year. But
daffodils, crocus and bulb iris may come back. Tulips are less predictable.
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