Amaryllis Bulbs~ Keeping them year after year..

First of All I wish all of you a Very Happy New Year..  

I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2017..  And I thank each and everyone of you for your lovely support and contributions throughout 2016..  

 Secondly, Apologies how Quiet Dreamwalker’s  Garden Blog has been through these last few months.  Circumstances dictated my time,  But I am here now and  wish to start off this new year by showing you my Wonderful Amaryllis in Flower right now. It has 4 wonderful blooms on one stem and another stem in bud which I hope also will have another four blooms yet to show me their glorious blooms 

Amaryllis in Bloom today

After amaryllis bulbs have bloomed, we often are inclined to throw them out. If you’d like to have them flower again next Autumn or winter, below are a few tips of how to save and prepare your bulbs..

When your blossoms have faded from your amaryllis, then cut off the flower stems about 1/2″ or around 5cms from the bulb. Don’t cut off the leaves. (Please watch out for any juice which comes from the cut stems as you carry them to the bin as they’ll drip on floors otherwise.) If the bulbs are big, most will develop second, or even third, flower stalks. Just cut the blossom stalks off as the blooms go by and savour all the flowers your bulbs produce.

After the last bloom stalk has been cut off your amaryllis will still be attractive, with their long  green leaves.

Place your plants on a sunny windowsill so these leaves can gather light, this will help to nourish your bulbs. Keep watering your plants so the soil says lightly moist, but never soggy.

 You will find the late spring and early summer warmth encourages the plants outdoors to leaf out, so think about where your amaryllis can spend the summer. Choose a sunny location where night temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.

You can leave the bulbs in their pots, if the containers have drainage holes, you could also place them somewhere in the middle to back of the garden where they can blend in with other plants . If there are no drainage holes in your containers, the pots will fill with water when it rains and the bulbs will rot. So please make sure they are well drained.. Especially here in the UK where our rainfall is high. 

Give them a small amount of fertilizer when you provide the same for the rest of the garden; this will help strengthen the bulbs for future flowering. We often use tomato feed to help give our plants a boost when we water them. 

In early to mid autumn, before the first frost, bring your amaryllis back inside, cut off all the foliage about 1″-2″ or 5 cms  from the top of the bulbs, and place the bulbs in a dry, dark place.

I find under the sink cupboard is good, but if you have a cellar then you could put them there.  You are trying to force your bulbs to take a rest, to slip into a few weeks of dormancy before starting a new flowering cycle.

During this period, withhold all water.

Let your amaryllis sleep for ten to twelve weeks. Then, start the growing cycle over just as you did when your first planted the bulbs.

Replace the soil with fresh mix, remove any dead leaves and old, peeling bulb sheaths which look like dried onion skins and replant, again with the bulb shoulders exposed.

 Place your bulbs in bright light and give them one good drink of water. The combination of light and water will re-awaken your plants and encourage them to start growing again.

When the first little leaves appear, and not before, begin watering regularly. (If you give a steady supply if water to a bulb with no foliage, the bulb will rot.) So do not over water it.

With good care most amaryllis bulbs will bloom seasonally for years. Some cultivars even develop offspring bulbs alongside the mother bulbs and these youngsters eventually grow large enough to bloom. So nurture them and keep growing them on. 

Lastly here is my lovely daughter with her flowering Amaryllis showing how when we give energy how it responds in kind with these huge and numerous flowers..  🙂 

My Daughter and her Amazing Amaryllis

Happy Gardening 

~Sue~