In the Garden: Winter is amaryllis season
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Add unique flare to this winter’s indoor garden and décor with double amaryllis. The several layers of colorful petals are sure to make a statement wherever they are displayed.
Start the amaryllis season with early blooming varieties grown in the southern hemisphere. Double Alaska features frilly, fully double white flowers with a lime green center. Order bulbs early, store them in a cool, dry, dark location and plant these early blooming bulbs by November 1st if you want flowers for the holiday.
Keep the color coming throughout the winter by growing a variety of other double amaryllis grown in the Northern hemisphere that begin blooming in January. Plant a few bulbs every three weeks to extend your enjoyment for several months.
Watch the colors change on Double Giant Amadeus amaryllis. The petals start as mostly white with a fine red outline. As the flowers mature, the color intensifies to a blushing pink, coral and salmon.
Grow Double Sweet Nymph (longfield-gardens.com) for a bit of a romantic charm. The layers of creamy white petals are covered with coral pink stripes.
If you like the traditional red amaryllis, you will enjoy the giant red flowers of Double King. Each bulb produces three stems with four or more blooms that open at different times to extend your enjoyment.
The candy cane striped narrow petals of Double Doublet are sure to catch your attention. Each flower is a bit different, adding to its uniqueness. Watch as the three stems grow, producing as many as a dozen flowers from each bulb.
Enjoy weeks of artistic blooms when you grow Double Aphrodite amaryllis. The ruffled white petals have a narrow red edge and lime green center. The fine red brushstrokes that extend from the petal tips add to this amaryllis’s charm.
Plant your amaryllis bulbs in a quality potting mix with the top half above the soil surface. Grow a single bulb in a pot that is seven to eight inches deep and five to six inches across with drainage holes. Or group several bulbs together in a larger container. Water the potting mix thoroughly and place the container in a cool sunny location. Continue to water thoroughly but only often enough to keep the soil barely moist.
Add a bit of elegance and ease of care by going soilless. Place several inches of pebbles in the bottom of a glass vase or watertight container. Cover the pebbles with water. Set the bulb on top of the pebbles, adding more stones around the bulb to hold it in place. Leave the top one third of the bulb exposed. Add water as needed to maintain the water level just below the bulb.
Now relax and wait a month or more for your amaryllis bulb to wake up and start growing. Water more often once sprouts appear. Enjoy the transformation as the bulb turns into a flowering plant over the next few weeks.
Growing amaryllis indoors will keep you gardening all year long, providing mood-boosting benefits and stress relief. Plus, the colorful blossoms are sure to brighten your winter days.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, and her website is MelindaMyers.com, which features gardening videos, free webinars, monthly gardening tips, and more. She was commissioned by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article.
