The amaryllis bulb produces some of the most beautiful flowers. These indoor bulbs are known for their large trumpet shaped blooms that sit on top of 40-45cm stems.

Each stem has 4-6 flowers, and each flower is 20 cm wide, making for a spectacular show. Small sized bulbs will produce one stem of flowers and larger sized bulbs can produce 2-3 stems, resulting in many weeks of enjoyable blooms.

Amaryllis bulbs are available at the garden centres now, and if planted early enough, you will be able to enjoy the blooms around Christmas. They are an easy to grow bulb, as the flower and nutrients are already stored inside the bulb, and all they need is water to start growing, making them ideal for gardeners of all levels.

Start by choosing a large, healthy bulb with some roots attached. Remember, the bigger the bulb, the more flowers it will produce. The bulb can be planted in soil or in a water filled vase.

If planting in soil, choose a container that is large enough to hold the bulb with 5 cm to spare, so that the bulb is not touching the side of the container. Ideally the pot should be heavy such as a clay pot or be weighted down with stones to keep the pot anchored which is important as the flower can make it top heavy.

Using a good quality indoor potting soil, partially fill the container and place the bulb in the container, with the roots hanging down. The top of the bulb should be 5 cm below the top of the container. Fill in the container with soil, leaving the top half of the bulb uncovered. Only the bottom half of the bulb is in the soil. Press the soil down, around the bulb, give it some water and place the planted bulb in a warm, sunny location. Water the soil around the bulb sparingly, until you see growth, as you don’t want the bulb to rot. When the bulb is showing signs of growth, you can water more often. It usually takes 8-10 weeks from planting to blooming.

Remove the finished flowers and when all the flowers are done, remove the flower stalk a few centimetres above the bulb.

When the bulb has finished blooming it will produce long, strapping leaves. These leaves are important if you want to save the bulb for next year, as they are gathering nutrition to rebuild the bulb. Treat the bulb as you would any other houseplant over the winter months, and in late spring after all threat of frost has passed the bulb can be planted outdoors in the garden, in a shady spot. Fertilize with bulb food. In early fall, after the first killing frost, bring the bulb indoors and store it for 6-8 weeks, and then re-plant it again. If done correctly it will bloom again.

If you want to try something a little different, grow the bulb in a vase or container with water. The container must be able to hold the bulb so that the bulbs roots are in the water, but not the bulb itself. A tapered, or hourglass vase works best.

Another option, is to partially fill a tall 25-30 cm vase with decorative stones or rocks. The bulb is placed on the stones with the roots hanging down into the stones. Fill the vase with just enough water, so that the water level is just below the top surface of the stones, keeping the bulb dry. Place in a warm, sunny location and water periodically keeping the water level below the rocks surface. As the bulb starts to grow, the roots will grow down through the rocks seeking water. Finished flowers are removed, as well as the finished stems. Bulbs grown, using the water methods, are not as easy to save from one year to the next, and are usually tossed out.

-Jos 

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George:

• Highway 16 west at Kimball Road

• Highway 97 north at Northwood Pulpmill Road