I have a sparkling
shepherdess living on my dining room table and it’s not as messy as it
sounds. It’s an Amaryllis – pronounced
“am-uh-RIL-us” and the name comes from Greek mythology. The horticultural name is Hippeastrum.
I’ve bought Amaryllis bulbs
for years in colors of reds, pinks, peach and combinations. This year I have a delicious icy lime green
and it’s stunning.
I’ve found cheap Amaryllis
bulbs most always bloom and the blooms are wonderful. This year I bought a huge healthy bulb from
Green View Nursery in Dunlap. When I
talk cheap and expensive for Amaryllis bulbs I’m talking a range of $5 to
$20. There are Amaryllis bulbs for
hundreds of dollars if that’s your thing.
Here’s how the Sparkling
Shepherdess goes:
The bulb: The larger the bulb (typically from a
nursery) the taller the stem, the more stems, the more flowers and the more varied
flower choices. The bulb must not be dried
out, should be healthy and heavy; like a
firm healthy onion. Do not knock off the
dried looking roots at the bottom or the papery covering. If you buy a more inexpensive bulb, make sure
you can see and touch it first. It’s OK
if it’s already sprouted.
The pot: Often it’s recommended you plant the bulb in
a small shallow pot. Do not do it even
if you get that little plastic one in the box.
It’s how you place the bulb that is the key to success. This year I used a pot that was 8 inches tall
and wide. It must have a drainage hole and
sit on some kind of a saucer.
Overwatering or sitting in water will rot the bulb. I placed a round coffee filter in the bottom
of the pot. Next I added about 2 inches
of glass marbles, then two inches of potting soil. I gently placed the bulb on the soil and
gently spooned more potting soil around the bulb until 2/3 of the bulb was
covered; tapping it to firm. Do not
cover top third of the bulb or it will rot.
The reason I chose a big heavy
weighted-bottom pot is because the plant will be very top heavy when it blooms.
The Watering: Sit the pot over the drain of
your sink or other waterproof site.
Gently pour water over the soil – not the bulb. I use the word gently because if you dump a
whole hard stream of water all at once, you’ll have a mess and the bulb will rot. Gently poor water over the soil until it is
wet to the bottom. Let it totally drain
and place on the saucer in good light.
Do not water again until it has dried. Empty any water that flows into the
saucer. Repeat through it’s life cycle. Do not overwater and never water the top of
the bulb!
The Flowers: It takes an Amaryllis bulb from
6-8 weeks to sprout and bloom. The
leaves are inconsequential to the plant’s beauty. The flowers have the shape of
a lily and no matter the cost it will have beautiful flowers. Some folks plant several bulbs in pot.
The after party: Don’t throw the finished plant
away. Continue to treat it like any
other houseplant. Do not over
water. This is where you do everything
right or be like me and forget you have the bulb because you put it in the
basement and when you go down for the Christmas decorations and you happily start
again.
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The right way: Give it a little fertilizer in
the winter and keep in bright winter sun.
When the temps are over 50 degrees in the late spring, move
outside. Some put the pot outside and
others plant the bulb in the ground (plant same depth.) The more sun, fertilizer and water it gets in
the ground, the more leaves it will grow, the more photosynthesis occurs and
the bigger the bulb grows. Lift the bulb
before it freezes in the fall. Brush off
soil, cut off the leaves to about 2 inches and let the bulb’s roots dry. Keep in a cool dark place (brown paper bag
hung on the basement works for me.) Pot
up about 8 weeks before you want blooms.
The bottom line: Don’t be intimidated by the few
rules for Amaryllis plants, they are well worth it for these spectacular
sparkling winter flowers.
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