Indoor Gardening – Amaryllis

"Gardening Is My Passion"

Indoor gardening can save the sanity of a passionate gardener when it’s too cold or too wet to be outside.

Bringing living beauty into your house over the cold winter months is easy with bulbs like amaryllis. But did you know you can save those bulbs for next year’s bloom?  It doesn’t sound too hard – read the instructions that came from Park Seed below, then liven up your indoor gardening with Amaryllis! (Click on the words, Park Seed, and you can read the article on their site.)

By the way, I get a Park Seed newsletter in my email, which almost always has some interesting or useful tip.  To get yours, go to ParkSeed.com.

“The essential Christmas flower, amaryllis is famously easy to grow. You can give it fearlessly to people who have never gardened in their lives, and it will send up strong green shoots that erupt with up to 4 huge, brilliantly colored, long-lasting blooms. The whole process takes just 6 to 8 weeks, and about the only issue is that sometimes the flowers are so heavy, they topple the stems. And even that is easy to fix with amaryllis stakes, a popsicle stick, or a pencil!

But what if you’re a gardener who wants to get more than one year’s bloom out of your amaryllis?

Caring for your amaryllis after it blooms isn’t difficult at all. Simply snip off the faded flowers and continue to give the plant water and light. One or more leaves may wilt, but that’s fine.

When the weather warms in spring, you can put your amaryllis pot outdoors if you like, but make sure night temperatures do not fall below 50 degrees F. (It also makes a fine houseplant.) Feed your amaryllis monthly in spring and early summer.

By mid- to late summer, it’s time for your amaryllis to go dormant to prepare for another season of flowering. Let the soil in its pot dry out completely, and store it in a cool, dark place. (Not below 50 degrees F, however!)

Eight to twelve weeks later, bring the pot back into the light. Trim any dead leaves, and water it well, freshening it with new potting soil if need be. Put it in a sunny spot and wait for those green shoots, which should appear within about 6 weeks (and possibly sooner). You’re off and running for another season of winter blooms!

You can repeat this process with your amaryllis for many years. And one day you may notice little bulblets on the side of the big bulb. These are babies, and if you gently separate them from their parent and put them in their own pot with potting soil, they will grow. It will be 3 to 5 years before they bloom, but care for them exactly as you do the blooming parent, and before you know it, you’ll have another gorgeous amaryllis blossoming over the holidays!”

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I love gardening, but my ‘real’ job is helping folks buy and sell homes. If you’re in need of assistance with residential real estate between Denver and Boulder, Colorado give me a call. Maybe we could squeeze in some gardening talk too!

If you’d like to learn more about the Realtor side of me, see my website (DreamHouseHunting.com) or my real estate blog (HomesDenvertoBoulder.com).

Copyright © 2011 Joetta Fort