‘Red Lion’, ‘Apple Blossom’, and ‘Minerva’- a great trio of Amaryllis from Longfield GardensGreat used as a cut flower, Amaryllis ‘Splash’, from Longfield Gardens
Someone gave you an Amaryllis gift box for Christmas? Or you have an old one that you want to re-bloom? Christmas indoor plants give us a breath of a living, blooming plant that we are missing at this time of year and I always buy several Amaryllis bulbs for starting and try to entice my old ones to burst forth with a flower stalk.
Amaryllis ‘Minerva’ at Longwood Gardens
These bulbs are native to warm climates, so they don’t require a cooling period to trigger blooms. Amaryllis and paper white narcissus both belong in this category. For forcing other types of bulbs that require a chilling period such as Hyacinths and Daffodils, go to Bringing Spring In.
An unusual Amaryllis bloom
Amaryllis Facts
Of all flowering bulbs, Amaryllis is one of the easiest to force into bloom. Packaged in a single bulb, a flower embryo is waiting – ready to burst into bloom with a bit of encouragement. The Amaryllis, Hippeastrum, originated in South America’s tropical regions and comes in many beautiful varieties including reds, white, pink, salmon, and orange. There are also many striped and multicolored varieties, usually combining shades of pink or red with white. Doubles, miniatures, and some very exotic ones that look like butterflies are also available. The large flowers and ease with which bloom, make Amaryllis extremely popular. The blooms brighten a gloomy winter day and are a snap to grow.
Loose Amaryllis bulbs blooming at a local nursery
Choosing the Best Bulb
Always pick out the largest plumpest bulb that you can find – the jumbo size. Bulbs are storage vessels and the more storage-think larger bulb!- more flowers. If you buy one at a big box store that is already planted in a pot, you usually get a plant with only 1 stem – a 26 to 30 cm bulb. You are paying a premium for the convenience of an already potted bulb, but with smaller and fewer flowers. Choosing larger single bulbs at a good nursery or ordering on-line will get you a better quality and a larger, older bulb. The larger bulbs, 34 cm + are a full year older than the smaller bulbs, so you are paying a bit more. I prefer paying extra to get a loose larger bulb with more flowers that last longer, than for a smaller potted up bulb.
A range of sizes of bulbs will give you various bloom sizes and numbersA jumbo Amaryllis is 34 -36 cm per bulb
In addition, look for an emerging flower bud coming out of the bulb. Choosing one an existing flower bud means that the bulb is ready to go and can bloom within 5-7 weeks.
26/28 cm – 1 stem (occasionally 2) with 3 to 4 flowers
28/30 cm – 2 stems with 3-4 flowers per stem
30/32 cm – 2-3 stems with 3-4 flowers per stem
32/34 cm – 2-3 stems with 4-5 flowers per stem
34/36 cm – 3 stems with 4-5 flowers per stem
Bud full of promiseDouble-flowered ones are my favorite
Quick Planting Tips:
Planting Period: October to April
Flowering Period:Late December until the end of May
Flowering time: 7-10 weeks
Larger bulbs: Produce more flowers
Always store: Un-planted bulbs in a cool place between 40-50 deg.
Flower Production: 2 to 3 stems per bulb
More Impact: Try planting 2 or 3 bulbs per pot
Pre-potted bulbs are usually smaller and less flower buds
Preparation for Planting
To get a head start soak the Amaryllis bulbs for an hour in warm water to hydrate the roots
Place the bulb into lukewarm water for a few hours to jump-start emergence. I received my bulbs from Longfield Gardens with a heat-pack giving off warmth so the bulbs wouldn’t freeze in transit.
Ordering my Amaryllis bulbs from Longfield Gardens in January means that I receive a heat pack that keeps the bulbs from freezing!
If you cannot plant the bulbs immediately after receiving them, store them at a cool temperature between 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature keeps them from blooming before you are ready.
Pick out a container that the bulb will fit into snugly, maybe an inch or two larger than the circumference of the bulb
A ceramic container is preferable to a plastic one because the weight of a flower, stalk, and leaves in full flush, will topple over the whole plant
Pot the bulb with good quality potting soil, leaving 1/3 of the top of the bulb or the ‘shoulders’ exposed; Water until you see moisture coming out of the bottom of the pot
If you want to accelerate the growth of the flower stalk and flower, place the pot on a heating pad
Bottom heat will accelerate blooming
Keep in a sunny spot and keep moist and you will be surprised how fast the flower will appear
Once flowers appear, if you want the flowers to last longer, keep in a cooler spot
Each year that you keep your Amaryllis alive, it will get larger and produce offsets (tiny bulbs that will get larger)
Leave about 1/3 of the top of the bulb uncoveredFill in with fresh moss for a finished look
Tying and staking a ‘Red Lion’ Amaryllis keeps the flower stalk from flopping
Amaryllis bulbs can also be planted in mixed containers to make the growing bulb more interesting Amaryllis ContainersThis container has a very old Amaryllis that keeps on getting larger and larger every yearAmaryllis used as a cut flower in a vase, from Longfield Gardens
Waxed Bulbs
Waxed bulbs are a new wrinkle on Amaryllis. Throwaway bulbs is my term for them! Once it blooms, waxed bulbs should be discarded and can’t be saved to re-bloom another year because of the waxed covering. Popular in the Netherlands, I have had trouble with stunted growth from the ones that I started which is due to improper temperature storage of the bulb (before I bought it).
A waxed bulb seen at LowesStunted flowers are blooming right at the neck of a waxed bulb
From my experience with waxed bulbs, I won’t be buying these again!
Re-Blooming & After Bloom Care
Cut-Back- After the Amaryllis has stopped flowering, Don’t throw it away (unless you have a waxed bulb)! Possible to force again, you need to follow a few simple directions. Cut the old flowers from the stem after flowering, and when the leaves start to sag and turn yellow, cut it back to the top of the bulb.
Leaf Growth and development Continue to water and fertilize as normal all summer, or at least 5-6 months, allowing the leaves to fully develop and grow. I simply take all my pots outside and set them in an out-of-the-way place and never look at them all summer. Let the rain water them. When the leaves begin to yellow, which normally occurs in the early fall when the days get cooler, cut the leaves back to about 2 inches from the top of the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil.
Bulb Storage- Clean the bulb, removing and rinsing off all soil, and place it in a cool (40-50 deg. F), dark place such as the crisper of your refrigerator for at least 6 weeks.Caution: Do not store Amaryllis bulbs in a refrigerator that contains apples – this will sterilize the bulbs. Store the bulbs for a minimum of 6 weeks. I usually place the bulbs in a dark cool corner of my basement as I don’t have room in my refrigerator. Alternatively, you can leave the bulbs in the pots in a cool dark space. After about 6 weeks, you can pot them up.
Removal from Storage- Once your cooling period is up, replant your bulbs as if it was a newly purchased one. Be sure to fertilize the bulbs with dilute plant food as the original bulb has used up all the food stores. For more impact, I like to pot three bulbs to a container.
Potted up with 3 bulbs, Apple Blossom makes a good show, from Longfield Gardens
You can safely start Amaryllis until April, so there is no rush for these to bloom!
One thing you have to know is that Amaryllis normally bloom in spring, not in December. The ones that bloom for Christmas are grown in greenhouses to get them to behave that way. For more information on Amaryllis re-blooming tips, go to National Arboretum.
If you don’t have a yard or outdoor space to plant outdoor bulbs like Tulips, Daffs, Iris, or Hyacinths, don’t despair….Plant them in pots. Easy peasey. So much better to plop your bulbs in nice loose potting medium rather than slaving with a heavy shovel to get your bulbs down to the proper depth in a heavy clay soil. Frustrating? You bet! But in containers, think of the advantages:
You can enjoy your bulbs up close and personal
Change the look and appearance of your garden instantly
Grow bulbs that require specialized TLC
Pop them into containers with other spring flowers
Experiment with new varieties. Plus, you can have beautiful pots of spring flowers welcoming friends to your front door or brightening your patio for weeks in the spring when you become starved for color and fragrance.
Fall-planted bulbs in containers have different needs than bulbs planted directly in the ground. I am not talking about “forcing” bulbs which means to accelerate your bloom period so that you have your bulbs bloom in late winter, earlier than scheduled for their normal bloom period. This requires pre-chilling to get the required days of cold that each bulb needs. I didn’t want to fool with forcing this year. So, I decided to enjoy my bulbs in containers by my back door without fiddling with burying the pots and/or chilling bulbs that forcing requires. Go to Bringing Spring In-Forcing Bulbs for more information on pre-chilling and forcing if you want winter color indoors.
Grape Hyacinth ‘Valerie Finnis’ is one of the prettiest minor bulbsMiniature Iris in a pot is also a favorite; this blue variety is a stunner-‘Katharine Hodgkin’
Another use for your bulbs in containers is to use them in mixed spring containers for an instant pop of color.
Blooming Tulips, Daffs, and Grape Hyacinths add great color to a spring container-by Leigh Barnes
Creating an enclosed environment for your tiny packages of blooms is easy if you remember a few cardinal rules.
Potting Medium-Use a high quality potting medium with lots of perlite or vermiculite for porous well draining soil (not garden soil)
Pots-Use flexible plastic pots that give with the changes of temperature (terra-cotta can break); You can slip these into decorative pots when they bloom
Spacing-Plant bulbs so they’re close but not touching, with their tips just below the soil surface. Here is your chance to stuff them in for a huge color show
Depth-Pot bulbs are typically planted a little less shallowly than ground bulbs. But try to stick closely to recommended planting depths for best results. The goal is to leave as much room as possible under them for root growth
Layers-For a more abundant lavish look, you can layer your bulbs or stack them on top of each other but it is simpler to stick with one variety per pot for beginners
Temperature-In winter, bulbs in above-ground containers will get MUCH colder than those planted in the ground where the surrounding soil insulates. This means you’ll need to store your potted bulbs through the winter in a place that stays colder than 48° F most of the time but that doesn’t get as severely cold as the outside
Water-Check your soil all winter to make sure soil is moist but not soggy. Water infrequently when just started, but later when roots have filled in and top growth has started, ramp it up
Presentation-Place grit, gravel, or spanish moss on top to finish it off
Miniature Iris are my favorite for potsThere is nothing more fragrant than a pot of Hyacinths by the back door, from Longfield GardensTulips are also easy in pots
Storing
Since temperature is critical for success, it is important to choose a good spot for your bulbs sheltered from the killing freeze/thaw cycle, but still able to get the needed chilling for successful flowering. Keeping the pots in a cool shaded spot until early spring growth appears is essential. For me it is an unheated mud room attached to my house once winter weather arrives.
I wrap my containers in bubble wrap and place them in an unheated mud room next to my house
I also wrap my pots in insulating bubble wrap and place them next to the wall of the house in the mud room for any ambient warmth. I have heard of gardeners even storing the pots in old-fashioned galvanized trash cans with some burlap or other filler stuffed around them. Storing them in cans will avoid the great destructor of bulbs-squirrels, mice, voles and other assorted varmints.
Squirrels are very destructive with bulbs
If storing in a garage, be careful of ethylene gas emitted from exhaust fumes from warming-up cars. Ethylene gas can cause flower buds to abort and you end up with wonderful pots of foliage only. If you store in an old refrigerator, be aware of ripening nearby fruit for this reason as the ethylene gas of fruit can cause the same problem. Store the pots in impermeable plastic bags to avoid contamination.
Once top growth starts in the spring, gradually move the pots out into the partial sun and as they become acclimated into bright sun and Enjoy! I include a step by step guide on how to plant bulbs in containers at the end of this post.
Muscari or Grape Hyacinths are easy in containers, from Longfield Gardens
After Care-3 Ways
Compost the bulbs, leave in the pot/plant in the ground in the fall, or replant in the garden right after flowering and still green are the three ways to handle the spent bulbs. If you replant, be sure to fertilize them with a bulb fertilizer as the bulbs have used all those nutrients up at their first burst of flowering. Most times, the flowers aren’t as spectacular as the first bloom so I tend to compost them.
Don’t hesitate to compost your used bulbs-There is no shame in that!
Step By Step
First layer covered with potting medium
Fill your deepcontainer with a high-quality potting mix about 3-4 inches deep
Plant your bulbs almost as deeply as you would in the ground; for instance, 6 or 7 inches deep for tulips and daffodils, and 3 or 4 inches deep for little bulbs such as crocus and Siberian Squill. Press the bulbs firmly into the soil, growing tips up. If layering, make sure that you cover one layer first before placing more bulbs
Water your bulbs well after planting
Plant either pansies or fall cabbages to the top for more insulating help
Layer your bulbs according to the suggested planting depth; Here I used a container 15″ in diameter and 16″ deep for a good root runPlace all your bulbs close together; This is the top layer using minor bulbs like crocus, mini iris, and ScillaPlant pansies or fall cabbages on top for extra insulationHyacinths in containers from Longfield GardensTulip bulbs planted very close together
Recently announced as the bulb of the year for 2016, the Ornamental Onion or Allium, has finally come into its own. Just ten years ago, these bulbs were rarely seen in gardens, but now I see them everywhere I turn. And the colors, shapes, and sizes that they come in is phenomenal. When the leaves start to fall, start planting these beauties, and if you can’t find them in local nurseries, a whole range of colors and sizes are available online. Native to the mountains of central Asia, where the winters are cold and the soil is thin and porous, Alliums like to be kept on the dry side. One of the oldest cultivated plants, first as an edible bulb, and then later in the 1800’s as an ornamental and highly coveted by plant hunters.
Allium Globemaster bulbs are big like their blooms, from Longfield Gardens
With their plump flower heads held on hollow stems above strappy basal leaves, hovering like purple clouds, Alliums are one of the highlights of the late spring into summer garden. If you select carefully, you could have Alliums bloom for over 20 weeks in the garden. Starting in May with Allium karataviense (Kazakhsatan onion) to October-blooming Allium thunbergii ‘Ozawa’, Alliums will keep your yard blooming all season long.
Allium Globemaster, from Longfield Gardens
Alliums are easy care, a snap to grow, and last for weeks in the garden in flower and months in the garden in the form of decorative seed heads. And did I mention, deer, voles, moles, and rabbits, leave them strictly alone? The one drawback is that the larger ones like Globemaster can set you back an average of $8 a bulb. Large eight to ten inch lilac orbs will reward you in the late spring if you thought far enough ahead and set aside some bucks to bankroll this investment. They last for years and years.
Odorless unless you step on their leaves or foliage, they will emit a sulfurous bitter-tasting compound, thus the deer repelling effect. In contrast, the flowers produce a sweet nectar that draws bees and other pollinators, a perfect plant!
Dried seed heads in the garden
The strappy foliage is beautiful when the flower is blooming, but will wither and disappear quickly as the flower matures. The seed heads as they dry on the stem make a statement in the garden, and in the fall, they become little tumbleweeds rolling around like lost puppies.
Planting
Plant bulbs at 2½ times their own depth in autumn and space them about 8 inches apart. Make sure the soil is porous and well draining and avoid irrigated gardens as they will just rot. Full sun is best, but partial sun will do. That’s all there is to it and you will have these gems come up year after year.
Dried seed heads in the garden
Coming in a broad palette of colors, heights, bloom times and flower forms, Alliums are plants with tough constitutions. Excellent flowers for fresh or dried bouquets, even fully planted gardens can accommodate these bulbs which need little room. I find them good companions to grasses, and large leaved plants where the dried seed heads contrast nicely with the foliage.
Allium orb made out of dried seed heads
Used in flower arrangements and as decorations in the house, the seed heads last several seasons.
Allium seed heads suspended over a fairy garden
Alliums multiply naturally and prefer to be left untouched in the same area for years. There are no serious diseases or insect pests that bother them.
I often wonder why Alliums or Ornamental Onions are not more widely planted, and I think it is a naming problem. Ornamental Onions conjures up a supermarket food and not a beautiful bulb like a tulip or daffodil. Alliums are the best kept secret of the bulb world and once you start planting them, you will add to your collection every year. For more information about varieties and history, go to National Garden Bureau.
Every gardener in the depths of winter, wants to bring spring in and relieve the monotony of dreary, dull winter days, without flowers. The garden is lifeless, snow-covered and icy, and you need your drug fix of color and fragrance to help you get through the winter. What is a gardener to do??? An easy solution, short of buying your own greenhouse of flowers, is to plant bulbs inside that will emerge and bloom in a couple of weeks in the depths of January and February. But to get those quick results, you need to force certain varieties- Paperwhites, Amaryllis, and pre-chilled Hyacinths.
Forcing bulbs is a technique that has been in use for hundreds of years, popularized in the Victorian era, and the Victorians went to great lengths to force bulbs into bloom.
The proper definition of forcing bulbs is defined as “a technique that imitates the environmental conditions that bulbs encounter outdoors, thereby tricking them into flowering earlier”. Different types of bulbs require different chilling periods, generally between 12 and 16 weeks. But for Paperwhites and Amaryllis, they are primed and ready to go without this artificial chilling period, and that is why gardeners depend on them for easy winter color.
Usually you see only one variety of paperwhite, but there are many different onesPaperwhite display
To have Tulips, Crocuses, Iris, and other bulbs blooming in my house in the winter, I would have had to pot the bulbs up in the late fall, chill them in a refrigerator for weeks and weeks, and then bring them into the house for warmth to bloom. But, I don’t have the time or room for that, so I do the next best thing – force the easy ones quickly without much fuss or mess.
At a local nursery, I also discovered a treasure trove of Hyacinth bulbs that were pre-chilled and I snatched those up to force also.
Paperwhite Narcissus
Paperwhites are the most commonly forced bulb that gardeners love to grow and enjoy for their wonderful fragrance. The scent of a bowl of Paperwhites in full bloom will waft through an entire house! They are incredibly easy and bring a touch of much-needed spring scents into your living space. When choosing your bulbs, select ones that are symmetrical, rather than ones that have off shoots, as these tend to come out lopsided and will fall over easily.
Forced Daffs at the Philadelphia Flower Show
How To Force Paperwhites
Step 1
Paperwhite bulbs-one lop-sided and one symmetrical
I like to put my Paperwhites in gravel so that they are bottom heavy and won’t flop over from the weight of the tall stems. Simply fill a container with loose gravel or pebbles, or soil.
Step 2
If you pot them in soil, water until moist. If you use gravel, fill up the container with water until the level hits the bottom of the bulb, but they are not submerged.
Paperwhites in container for forcing
Step 3
Keep your paperwhites in a warm sunny spot and check the rooting container almost every day for formation of roots, adding water as it evaporates.
Step 4
Once the shoots reach 2 inches tall, you need to pour off the old water and add a mixture of 4-6 % alcohol and water. You need to do this to stunt the growth of the stems which can get quite tall. You will end up with drunken Paperwhites! The alcohol mixture will shorten the stems by one-third and not affect the flowers at all. See below for the recipe.
Step 5
Once in bloom, if you move them to a cooler location, the flowers will last longer.
Basically, if you add 1 part of gin, vodka, or other alcohol, to 7 parts water, the mixture will interfere with water intake and you end up with shorter and less floppy stems. As anyone who has grown these bulbs knows, a container of fully grown Paperwhites needs support or the whole thing will topple over. The key is to add this mixture after the shoots reach 2 inches tall. Do not use wine or beer!! as that adds too much sugar. Don’t go over this amount of alcohol (4-6%), or you could really damage the plant. If you decide not to add the alcohol, you will need to add some support to the stems.
Varieties of Paperwhites
Ziva Paperwhites planted in mass in the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens
I like the old-fashioned variety Zivafor the great fragrance and pure white color. Also, for those who can’t stand the intense fragrance, there is a variety that is only lightly scented called Tazetta inbal. Personally, I love the strong Paperwhite scent and would never plant the lightly scented variety as that is the main reason I grow them. Another variety to try, is a beautiful sunny yellow with an orange center, called Grand soleil d’Or.
Types of Paperwhites
The Big One-Amaryllis
Amaryllis are huge bulbs with huge flowers
If you have read this blog at all, you probably have figured out that Amaryllis tops my list of favorite plants. Go to Amaryllis Centerpiece or Amaryllis Primer to see what you can do with this easy to force bulb.
Amaryllis Centerpiece
Amaryllis flowers used at Longwood
Hyacinths
For how-to on forcing Hyacinths for indoor bloom, go to Longfield Gardens
I love the fragrance and color of Hyacinths, so am forcing these for the first time. I found some pre-chilled bulbs at the nursery along with some forcing vases and thought I would give it a whirl. The trick here is to set the bulbs directly above the water, but not touching, so that the bulbs don’t rot.
Forcing Hyacinths
Step 1
If you can’t find pre-chilled bulbs, place them in your crisper drawer of your refrigerator for at least five weeks, keeping them away from your produce.
Step 2
Fill the forcing vase to just below the cup where the bulb will rest. The bulb will reach for the water. Some of my bulbs I set on gravel in a mason jar with the water level just below the base of the bulb.
Step 3
Place the hyacinth bulb with the root end down and growing tip up, so that the base is just above the water. Place your vase on a bright windowsill and periodically change the water, and turn the vase to keep it centered. Enjoy the two-week show of beauty and fragrance. I especially enjoy watching the roots form through the glass!
Paperwhites and Hyacinths pour all their energy into blooming and are all bloomed-out afterwards. I toss them. Amaryllis are a different story. After blooming, I cut off the stalk and water it just like any other houseplant. In the spring when all danger of frost is gone, I stick the pots outside in a sheltered location, in partial sun. I ignore them all summer long, until the fall, when it gets chillier. Then, I bring the pots in and put them in the dark basement and let the leaves die back. Around Thanksgiving, I start watering the bulbs and bring them into the light. Usually they reward me by sending out buds and begin their cycle again.
