How to get Amaryllis to return year after year in your landscapes

For many years, all the children in my family were given amaryllis bulbs as Christmas gifts by my mother, and we’d rush to pot them and have a friendly contest to see whose bloomed first. Naturally, I used my green thumb to my advantage in these contests and often did fairly well, though there was never really any prize other than pride and bragging rights.

Amaryllis bulbs (Hippeastrum sp.) are often sold with decorative pots for simple gifts during the Christmas season, sometimes as a to-be-assembled planting kit, and sometimes as potted plants that have been conditioned or forced to bloom for the season. The bulbs should be planted in a container with moist potting soil, with the shoulders of the bulb exposed. Keep them in a spot in the house that gets a good amount of natural light. As the first shoot emerges from the bulb, you may need to turn the pot occasionally to keep the stem growing straight and tall as it will have a tendency to lean towards a window or other light source. Water your amaryllis generously, but take care not to let the soil get overly soggy. Normally, it will bloom 6-10 weeks after planting.

If you’re reading this now and you received an Amaryllis bulb at Christmastime, you’ve hopefully already planted it and maybe by now even had a bloom. Perhaps now you’re wondering what comes next. Although these plants bring us color in December and the early weeks of the new year, often times we’re not sure what to do with them after they’ve bloomed and they may even end up in the trash. However, there’s no reason not to hang on to them and allow them to bring joy the following year.

Above left: Amaryllis plants are often given as gifts, to be grown indoors. Read on for how you can plant them outdoors after they’ve bloomed, and get blooms year after year. Middle photo: 'Aphrodite' has double-blooming white flowers with pink and red feathering. Above right: 'Green goddess’ Amaryllis has white petals with green centers. 

Despite being native to more temperate climates in Central and South America, and frequently being treated as a houseplant here, amaryllis bulbs are actually cold hardy perennials, not only in zone 8a of Pitt County, but in colder climates to zone 7a. If you plant them outdoors in the proper spot and treat them with proper, yet fairly minimal care, they will return year after year in your landscapes. Here’s how to make that happen.

Once the amaryllis blossoms begin to fade, remove them individually from the flower stalks. Cut back the stalks when all flowers have faded. Water the plant just often enough to keep the soil slightly moist, and apply a light fertilizer once a month until spring. In mid to late April, after the threat of frost has passed, you can plant your Amaryllis bulb in a sunny spot in the garden. They prefer organic soils that are well-drained. Like many large, summer blooming bulbs, they don’t like to be wet during the winter, so be sure not to plant them in any spots where water might accumulate and linger during the colder months. It may take some time for your bulb to acclimate to its new surroundings, and it might not even bloom the first year outdoors, but will provide spectacular summer color once established.

‘Voodoo’ amaryllis have red petals with yellow streaks. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY 4.0

Amaryllis are in the Amaryllidaceae, or lily, family and have a recognizable lily-like flower and long slender leaves. Although many think of amaryllis blooms as being red, there are many cultivars that express different colors and color combinations. Some of the more notable include ‘Aphrodite’- double blooming white with pink and red feathering, ‘Minerva’- red petals with a central white star, ‘Apple Blossom’- white petals with pink feathering, ‘Green Goddess’- white petals with green centers, ‘Voodoo’- red petals with yellow streaks, and ‘Orange Sovereign’- yes, you guessed, it, orange petals. Some of these colors may not be as popular as Christmas gifts, but can often be purchased from bulb suppliers.
Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.