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We’ve looked at lighting
up your yard with spring bulbs, lighting up the indoors or planters with
container grown spring bulbs. So today, let’s take a look at how you can
light up your holiday and the winter season, with, you guessed it, container
grown holiday bulbs.
Amaryllis and
paperwhites, to be exact, and both bulbs are now available at the local
garden stores. These bulbs are well known for their holiday colors and
fragrances, but with the right planning, can provide you with the same color
and fragrances all winter long.
Today we’ll look at the
Amaryllis bulb. Amaryllis come in many different colors, single and double
flowers, and gives one outstanding show when in bloom. When buying your
amaryllis bulbs, the larger the bulb, the more flower stalks you’re likely
to have when it flowers. And buy several. That way you can stagger the
planting times, so you’ll have indoor colors not only for the holidays, but
throughout the winter as well. It takes about 6-8 weeks for these bulbs to
flower once they start growing, so plan accordingly.
Plant your amaryllis
bulbs using a 6-8 inch pot, good drainage, and use the soil-less potting
mix. Plant your bulb so that it’s buried to just below the neck of the
bulb. Place your bulb in a warm, well lit area, water sparingly at first,
then water as needed as it grows, and in 6-8 weeks your amaryllis will be in
full color. It’s as easy as that.
Remember…6-8 weeks to
flower once they start growing, so plan accordingly. And do buy extras for
staggered plantings. That way you can enjoy these beautiful flowers all
winter long. Oh, one last point. These are recyclable. So when they’re
finished blooming cut off the old flower stalk and let them grow until next
August feeding them on a regular basis. We’ll tell you how to get them to
reflower come next August. |
