Dan's Papers - October 12, 2007 - The Garden At Rock Cottage by Lance Brilliantine

Late October is a time of contrasts. The changing season means that a gardener's focus moves from outdoors to indoors. I now need to decide on the value of over-wintering tropical plants from summer. The banana, datura, and cereus, of course, are keepers and will reside in the greenhouse or sunny indoor window. The hibiscus, passion vine, and others, which seem magnets for aphids and white fly, will be left to die at the first hard freeze. Tender bulbs such as dahlia, canna, and tuberose will be plucked from the ground to relax in the basement in contrast to pineapple lily and caladium, which will be left to fend for themselves under thick mulch.

This somewhat somber time is offset by thoughts of upcoming holidays. For a gardener, of course, holidays not punctuated with flowers are no holidays at all. And, it is time to start forcing bulbs to compliment the holidays.

Of all winter bulbs, the Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is one of the most colorful choices for winter forcing. Its spectacular blooms can be achieved easily. Since it takes about eight weeks for the plant to bloom once started, bulbs planted every two weeks over the next several months can provide continuous blooms until May.

The Amaryllis is a holiday must! The flowers come in red, white, pink, salmon, orange, lemon-yellow, and multi-colored variations. The blooms are large (up to six inches across). Because of the spectacular blooms, it is often a gift plant at the holidays. The bulb itself is tender (Zones 9-11) originating from the Andes Mountains in South America.

Amaryllis can be purchased as individually packaged bulbs, pre-potted or in bulk. Pre-potted Amaryllis only require that they be watered to bloom. However, the additional cost for pre-potted bulbs is not economical, especially if you want to force many bulbs over time.

Bare bulbs can be planted in pots that are about two inches larger in diameter than the base of the bulb. The bulbs produce the most ornate blooms when the roots are pot-bound. Pots can be either clay or plastic, but must have a drainage hole to permit good soil drainage.

Position bulbs so that one-third to one-half of the bulb is exposed above the soil surface. This keeps the bulb's nose dry, which helps reduce the possibility of fungal disease. If at all possible, use sterilized potting mediums that contain some peat moss or perlite.

Water the bulb well, and avoid getting water on the nose of the bulb. Keep the soil moist and avoid over-watering, which causes rot and root destruction. Place the bulb in a sunny location where temperatures range between 68-75 degrees F (bright sunlight is essential to avoid legginess of the flower stalk.) As the plant grows, use a fertilizer twice monthly to promote growth. As the stalk grows, stake it to keep the plant from flopping over.

When buds appear, reposition the plant away from direct sunlight in a slightly cooler location. This relocation prolongs the flowering time, which can last for a month in the right temperature. Once flowers fade, cut the stalks off just above the bulb's top. At this point, the bulb can be discarded, or you can re-condition the bulb to re-bloom.

Discarding the bulb is, of course, easy. But if you want to get the bulb to re-bloom, place it again in a sunny location and continue watering and fertilizing monthly. The secret to re-blooming is to keep the bulb actively growing after it finishes flowering.

You can continue to grow amaryllis indoors all year, or outdoors as soon as the danger of frost has passed in spring. Bulbs can be planted in the garden and cultivated all summer long until the leaves begin to yellow in late summer. At that point, cut the leaves back to two inches from the top of the bulb and remove it from the pot or garden soil. Keep the bulb in a cool, dark place for about eight weeks so that the bulb seasons and passes through a dormant phase (basements of 45-50 degrees are perfect for this process.)

After the dormant period, repot the bulbs as before. Bulbs are likely to re-bloom in eight weeks. (If the bulbs do not re-bloom, repeat the process once more. The bulb is likely to bloom in the second year.)

Amaryllis is an easy bulb - one that can provide seasons of joy!

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.