I have enjoyed the beautiful blooms of the Amaryllis for many years. When I lived in Connecticut there was a challenge class for Flower Show judges and I still have one of the varieties from that challenge class. It traveled here with us in 2007.
Several years ago, Nancy Moses gave me a helpful tip for Amaryllis: plant them in the garden in the spring after they bloom and dig them up in the fall. Prior to this I would let them rest in their pots under a tree for the summer. * Note, my Amaryllis are one of the only green plants my deer didn’t eat last summer!
I pull my Amaryllis up in late October, lay them flat in a low container in the garage, and allow them to dry. When they are dry, I pull off the dried foliage before repotting them in a good potting mix. Last year I heard, for the first time, that the roots should be trimmed before repotting. I did this leaving just an inch or two of root attached to the bulb. This worked wonders as my Amaryllis have never been as robust as they are this year. After repotting them, leaving several inches of the bulb above the soil, I water them to settle the soil and give them a month or so, with light watering, to begin growing again. After seeing new growth I give them more water and watch for the buds to appear. Sometimes the foliage will come first.
Some of my bulbs were ordered from White Flower Farm, https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/, and John Sheepers, https://www.johnscheepers.com/flower-bulbs-index/amaryllis.html, both in Connecticut.
My Amaryllis are now in bloom. This goes on for a month or more as some bloom earlier than others. When they stop blooming, I fertilize them to be certain to have a good result the next year. If you want them to bloom earlier, begin the drying cycle and repotting in mid-October or November.
Flamenco Queen was the first to bloom. Her second stalk is now blooming. In the photo you can see the low soil level in these pots.
I love the Nymph series and this is Sweet Nymph. There are two plants here.
I believe this is Ice Queen. Thanks to the root pruning this stalk is 36” tall. There are 6 blooms on this stalk and another stalk is on its way.
In this photo, the coral striped Amaryllis is Dancing Queen–it traveled here in 2007. It could be an off shoot or new bulb that grew off the original plant. The deep pink Amaryllis in the center could be Lagoon, but I’m not positive. The shorter one on the right is Purple Rain. Flamenco Queen is the taller one on the right.
I am waiting for and hoping that three more bulbs will bloom. I have had the experience of a bulb finally coming into bloom after being moved the the garden.