Save your holiday amaryllis and plant it outdoors in your landscape!  Note- this will work if it doesn’t often get below 15 degrees F where you live. If your climate is good, your amaryllis will grow and bloom for years to come.   

Amaryllis is Awesome

I posted some of the exciting history of amaryllis a while ago. There are some great stories for a bard’s tale in a tavern, or maybe a fantasy romance novel.

Hey wait – shouldn’t that name have a capital A and be in italics?  Nope.  It’s the common name, not the scientific name. More on the topic of plant names (the language of plants) and especially those that are the same in scientific and common.

I have ranted about common names a few times on my TikTok and YouTube channels.  Yes, amaryllis is another case of the same common name being applied to two different plants.  Many “amaryllis” are technically in the genus Hippeastrum – from South America.    But just to confuse you further – a number of “amaryllis” are indeed Amaryllis – and they come from South Africa.    Care of the two genera is slightly different. This post is about how to regrow the holiday amaryllis that is actually a Hippeastrum.

Save those Holiday Bulbs!

Hopefully you did!  Indoors – because those bulbs that have been at indoor room temperature will die if exposed to temps below 55F all of a sudden.  They can live there, just not be placed there out of a comfortable home.  Even if they are in a cozy bed of soil, it’s too harsh of a transition. (I killed a few that way.)

If it’s too late, next year keep the amaryllis bulbs growing inside until the outside night temperatures will reliably stay above 55 degrees F.    In Low Desert this will be around March 1.    In Middle Dessert wait till St. Patrick’s Day.

Yes the leaves will get really long and leggy in the lower light indoors.    Do NOT cut the leaves or the bloom stalk. Do not fertilize them.    Just let them be.

How to Grow Amaryllis

There are two equally important issues that must be addressed along with all the rest, but these two can be deal-breakers when it comes to amaryllis survival – soil and shade.   

Soil

Amaryllis of all kinds need well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5.  If the bulbs stay too wet they will rot.  If it is too alkaline, they will not thrive. I dug a hole in the caliche of my yard and filled it with store-bought “cactus mix.” This is well draining and has a pH of around 7.5.

Light

Holiday amaryllis come to us from South America – but not a super hot area of that continent. The bulbs may be underground in summer, but if the soil gets too hot they will not survive. Afternoon shade in summer is required in the Southwest. Filtered light all day under a mesquite tree will also work just fine.

Water

It is okay to place the amaryllis under another plant if the soil is well draining. I have mine tucked in under shrubs and trees. Amaryllis do not mind getting wet during summer dormancy. Some bulbs can’t stand any wet when dormant, like cyclamen.  If the cyclamen bulbs get wet during dormancy, they generally die.

Plant Deeply Enough

Once you have found (or made) that perfect planting site – planting depth is important.    When amaryllis are holiday plants you put them in a little pot with their noses above ground.    Don’t do this outdoors in the Southwest no matter what they do elsewhere.    I killed two more that way. The bulbs need to be underground all the way to survive the heat of summer.

In the Southwest, with our low humidity and high heat, plant amaryllis with the tip of the bulb about half an inch below the soil line.  Then add an inch of well-draining mulch that protects them from excessive heat and cold. I really like to use cedar bark mulch for this, but pine needle mulch works well too.    In my former house I used downed leaves from the shrubs the bulbs were in tucked around.

Amaryllis Like Space

Plant amaryllis bulbs at least a foot apart.    These big bulbs need some elbow room to grow well.  Over time they may grow into a big beautiful clump. You can dig them up and spread them or enjoy the clump.

Fertilizer?

You can fertilize established bulbs with all your landscape plants. Established! Best to not fertilize when you first plant. The roots damaged during planting can be burned by fertilizer.

Next year for fertilizer. Best way to remember is with the holidays. For spring flowering bulbs this is Easter, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.    A general purpose fertilizer is best.

Patience is Required

When you first plant your amaryllis – allow the long leaves to fall all around the plant and lay on the ground if need be. Those leaves will need to do lots of photosynthesis and send lots of energy down into the bulb so it can continue it’s life. 

Floppy and sprawling, it may not look pretty in the garden to start with. Once the bulb has enough stored energy, it will allow those leaves to slowly turn brown, sending those last minerals into the bulb for next year. This way the bulb will have enough energy and nutrients to bloom next year. Once all the leaves are all brown, you can snip them off. Next year your amaryllis will grow thick beautiful new leaves that are more compact and tidy.   

Pruning?

Some websites tell you to cut off the bloom stalk. Silly AI! This is equivalent to deadheading – BUT! With bulbs you need to avoid cutting off bloom stalks until they are brown and all nutrients in them have gone back down into the underground storage bulb. The stalks are green and do photosynthesis just like the leaves do. “Deadheading” just opens a wound for pests or infection. It also stresses your bulbs and reduces the chance of big blooms next year.

Deadheading is only necessary if the plant in question re-blooms in the same season, like roses, or annuals like calendula.

Enjoy

I do hope you saved your amaryllis and you do give them a spot in your garden. Next year they will bloom in April!

Thanks for reading!

Jacqueline

More Tips for Bulbs – pages of them!

The Month By Month Guide offers tips for your landscape (yes bulbs and annuals) in every month of the year.  I have a few copies left and am offering them to you – my loyal readers. When you buy from me you get a signed copy!

From the review:

“A great reference book is key to successful gardening in the region where you live. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening takes the guesswork out of gardening for anyone residing in the Southwest. With this book, you’ll know what to do each month to enjoy a thriving garden all year, from January to December. Chronologically organized, this guide is full of critical gardening when-to and how-to advice, along with illustrated step-by-step instructions.

The book’s author is Jacqueline Soule, a Tucson-based gardening expert. She knows this arid region inside and out, and she’s written several articles and books packed with her gardening advice. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening showcases Soule’s expertise in one easy-to-read guide.”

Profits from the sale of this book go to the Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.

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