Amaryllis finished flowering? Don’t dump it! Such a beautiful bloomer doesn’t deserve to be sent to the great green compost heap in the sky. And it is so easy to persuade her to a repeat performance.
Her – yes her, as she is named after a shepherdess in Greek mythology – requirements are modest. Continue to keep in a warm, sunny area after the flower stem has been cut back to the foliage. Feed with any liquid fertilizer every two to four weeks until late June. If she shows signs of needing a rest at this stage, with her foliage dying back, ease back on the watering until by September it has ceased altogether. Do not attempt to report but in late October, top up around the bulb with fresh potting soil and commence watering once again.
An alternative treatment is suggested by Ludwig, distributors of some exceptional Amaryllis selections. Plant out in the garden when danger of frost is over, adding manure, Ludwig advises. Take out just before first frost, cut the leaves, keep the bulb cool and dry for three months, then repot and start growing again.
Now for somewhat of a shocker: we are in for a bit of botanical bungling. Although she has retained her common name, poor Amaryllis has become to taxonomists Hippeastrum, although they concede she remains in the family Amaryllidaceae. And Hippeastrum is no Greek shepherdess; the flowers of one of the species was thought to resemble a horse’s head, hence hippos, Greek for ‘horse.’
The Hippeastrum hail from Central and South America into the Caribbean, all 80 species of them – except for a single species that became sidelined along the way in West Africa.
Our modern bulbs are often labelled as Hippeastrum vittatum, which makes its home from the Peruvian Andes into Brazil. Truth be told though, the commercial Amaryllis has a rather mixed parentage, including H. leopoldii, H. reginae, H. aulicum, H. solandriflorum, and H. reticulatum.
The expanding interest in these magnificent bulbs has resulted in increased hybridization. The official worldwide institution for Amaryllis registration, or KAVB, has formed them into nine groups – Galaxy, Diamond, Hummingbird, Double Galaxy, Double Diamond, Double Hummingbird, Spider, and Butterfly. Beguiling names include Aphrodite, Blushing Bride, Mambo, Pizzazz, Snow White, and many others.
If you have already become an Amaryllis addict alas, you will have to wait until next fall to satisfy your cravings. An excellent source of specialty Amaryllis comes from Gardenimport (
gardenimport.com). African Amaryllis, for example, are compact with multiple stems per bulb according Dugald Cameron of Gardenimport. This past fall, he offered half a dozen varieties in the Sonata Series at $9.95 to 17.95 each. Cameron also carries the miniature forms, in contrast with the Symphony Amaryllis which has flowers up to eight inches cross.
A last tip: should your Amaryllis come in a plastic pot, slip it inside a heavier clay one. The weight of the flowerheads can cause them to topple over with disastrous results.
