As the huge blossoms of your Amaryllis shrivel one by one, pinch or cut them from the grouping. This keeps the remainder of the open blossoms looking fresh. When all are finished, cut the stalk to within an inch or two of the top of the bulb. Be careful not to injure any emerging leaves or flower stalks.

When the leaves start to develop, feed your amaryllis bulb with a low-nitrogen balanced house plant fertilizer, like 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 or a slow release fertilizer. Continue to feed your bulb according to the label directions on your fertilizer until the weather settles and warms enough to move it outdoors.

Amaryllis will survive in the ground in the southern states. They will blossom the following spring. Sometimes they will even bloom in the fall of the same year they are planted. If you want them to bloom for the holidays, keep them in a pot.

If the bulb is crowding the sides of its pot, step it up one size by replanting into fresh potting soil. Remember, though, that amaryllis bloom best when they are pot bound. Leave no more than an inch gap between the bulb and pot side.

If the bulb is not touching the sides of the pot, then just add some fresh soil to the top. Settle it into the pot by watering. Make sure you never water directly into the top of the bulb or keep the soil muggy wet. These both can cause rot, either of the bulb or the roots.

Whether you are growing them in a warm or cold climate, give them a summer vacation outside after all danger of frost has passed. Acclimate the bulbs to the outdoors, as you would any houseplant, by moving them into shade and then gradually conditioning them to some sunshine.

Keep them well watered but not soggy wet. Once they have become accustomed to outdoor conditions of heat and air, move them to an area of the garden where they will get morning or late afternoon sun with shade during the mid-day. They need some time in the sun in order to bloom their best. Continue to feed them every two weeks throughout the summer to establish the best bud size for flowering.

The bulbs will multiply and you should divide them whenever they appear crowded or their flowering diminishes. Wait until the foliage has died back and then dig them or un-pot them, by gently pulling and teasing the roots apart. Then replant the bulbs separately.

Whether you grow them in a garden bed or in a pot, you should only plant amaryllis to their bulb shoulder. Leave about half of the bulb above the soil line. Take care not to injure the roots or the leaves.  Let them develop normally. They are what feed the new flower buds forming inside the bulb.

In September, bring them indoors, let them go dry and die back. This mimics the dry season the bulbs go through in their native habitat. In October, begin watering the bulbs again. Put them into a sunny window. This begins their bloom cycle all over again.

These bulbs are wonderful additions to your holidays and garden. They give so much color for so little effort. They do it year after year, even multiplying themselves for family and friends. They are a very rewarding gardening experience for the novice and expert alike.

---Posted by Anne K Moore January 12, 2009