Amaryllises

Amaryllises come in a variety of hues including orange, salmon, pink, white, red and orange.  What’s more, many amaryllises grow in striped and bicolor variations.  Their big, lily-like blooms are ideal in bridal bouquets and as boutonnieres.   Thus, the amaryllis makes an excellent flower for flower arrangements and indoor/outdoor gardens!  Finally, amaryllises make for wonderful Easter and Mother’s Day gifts!

The amaryllis should be planted during the months between December and June.  Once the bulbs are planted, a gardener can expect to see blooms in the months between October and April.  In fact, the amaryllis is rather diverse, as it can be forced to grow indoors and also can be forced to re-flower.    By removing the dead blooms, a gardener can ensure more blooms within a fairly short time.

Where ever the amaryllis is planted it will require a lot of sunlight.  The amaryllis can easily be grown both indoors and outdoors.  Further, when a gardener plant amaryllises, they need to make certain that the neck of the bulb is left sticking up out of the soil so that the plant can grow.   Amaryllis bulbs require very little maintenance and a minimal amount of watering. Plus, planting amaryllises make for excellent borders and edgings.  Finally, they are ideal for flowerbeds. 

When fertilizing amaryllises, it is imperative that a gardener uses a fertilizer that has low level of nitrogen, as nitrogen tends to hinder the number of blooms that appear.  In fact, fertilizer may not even be needed at all if amaryllises are planted in already fertile soil.  Finally, over fertilizing amaryllises can result in either few blooms or the actual death of the plant entirely. 

Unfortunately, the amaryllis is not a bloom that can handle the cold effectively, thus in certain regions of the world it will not fair well.  For example, in the North Eastern regions of North America, amaryllises will more than likely fail to thrive or will not last very long outdoors.  Still, the plant can be grown indoors, thus the amaryllis can be enjoyed by everyone, almost everywhere.

When the amaryllis is planted indoors, it should be planted in a pot that is at least four inches deep; by using a pot that is four inches deep, a gardener ensures that the amaryllis’ roots have adequate room to grow.  Further, any container used to grow amaryllises needs to have drainage holes so that the plant does not experience flooding and root rot.  Finally, when the amaryllis bulb is inserted into the pot, the gardener should make certain that the bulb is place directly in the middle of the pot.  In doing so, the gardener provides adequate room for the plant to grow all the way around the pot.

Finally, amaryllises can be purchased online through reputable florists and garden supply dealers.  Conversely, due to various regulations, amaryllises can not be shipped to every state.  Thus, a gardener will have to check out the online floral supplier’s website to see if any regulations exist that might prevent them from obtaining amaryllises.