Now is the time for nurseries and gift shops to roll out gift plants, and there is one you may want to grow for more than a month or two.
Amaryllis, known botanically as Hippeastrum, is especially suited to gardens in Southern California. From one South American plant come many in clumps. Dig those up and divide them and you can have amaryllis blooming in all kinds of places in your garden.
Plant your amaryllis in the sun and you can expect blooms in late spring. ADVERTISEMENT
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As gift plants, the flowers can bloom anytime since these are forced in greenhouses under artificial but ideal growing conditions. Plant gift plants in your garden after the flowers fade, and they will eventually adapt and bloom in late spring.
Sunset Western Garden Book says to grow amaryllis in full sun. I grow mine in deep shade. Not on purpose, mind you, but it was the only place in my garden that needed something at the moment I had amaryllis to plant. Expect fewer and smaller blooms in shady conditions.
In shades of red, pink, burgundy, coral and variations and combinations of all those, amaryllis blooms with abandon once the clumps are well established in average soil with average watering. There is only one special requirement.
Initially, you will want to plant your hefty bulbs even with the soil surface. Do not bury these bulbs deep. The following spring, you will get green strappy growth first, followed by flowers. (A close cousin, Naked Ladies, are the opposite – flowers first, then green leaves.)
The leaves will begin to die back in late summer and early fall. Remove the leaves once they are completely brown.
If you are planting gift plants in the ground, expect them to take longer to get established. Forcing a plant to bloom just about robs it of all it’s got, and it can take a season or two for the plants to recover and adapt to garden conditions.
Southern California gardening guru Pat Welsh advises us to put new gift plants that haven’t bloomed yet in sunny windows. Turn daily to prevent the plants from leaning toward the light. Then she offers this great tip in her Southern California gardening guide: Once it blooms, move the plant out of the light to preserve the color.
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