Have you got your Hippeastrum bulb planted? Or like me have you remembered you had one left over from last year and found it under the bench in a corner of the greenhouse? Often misnamed Amaryllis these chunky bulbs will grow at an impressive rate and reward you with huge trumpet-shaped flowers in a variety of colours.
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| Here's mine, ready to go again this year with a top dressing of new compost |
Ideally plant your bulb from autumn through to January (they quite often appear as Christmas gifts) in some multi purpose compost and place in a light and sunny spot indoors. Once growth starts you can water as required. It is worth turning the plant every so often to encourage the stem to stay straight. They do get very top heavy once in full flower, so a cane might be required to stop the plant falling over, sitting it in a heavy ceramic or metal pot cover may also help.
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| The strappy green leaves are attractive in their own right |
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| Success! |
As you can see in the photos, last year my bulb flowered successfully with two magnificent stems with three flowers on each. This is bulb is now going into it's third year of growing (which I am pleasantly surprised at). The tip of the flower bud is already emerging from the bulb. They make great bulbs for kids (a bit like hyacinths in a glass jar) due to they're speed of growth, expect flowers about six weeks after growth starts.
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| I've no idea which variety my bulb is, but I love it's flamboyant RED |
So now for the tricky bit, after care. Once the flowers are finished I usually put mine out into the heated greenhouse, but any frost free room will do. Water occasionally and let all the leaves die off. In September stop watering and let the plant gradually die back. Cut off the old growth and place the plant in a cool place, light is not essential but as I mentioned before, frost free is essential. At this stage my plant goes under the greenhouse bench where it sits until my memory is jogged by an article about them and I go and rescue it in time to enjoy it coming back to life.
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| I can't wait for mine to flower again |
And so the cycle begins again. Re-pot bulbs every two to three years in fresh compost when you bring them in over winter. You can quite often get them reduced in ex Christmas present gift boxes in the post festive season sales.
Enjoy!
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