Christmas Flowers

Amaryllis has big beautiful blooms just in time to decorate a festive table!

In the bulb world, a Christmas flower (amaryllis) has big beautiful blooms just in time to decorate a festive table or sideboard with some pizzazz. You can also get them in lovely shades of red and white to blend with Christmas colours. They are often grown in pots so that they can be moved around with ease and in our warmer climate in South Africa also do well in the garden. They can be planted from September all the way through to January and will flower into February.

Planting in pots

Firstly, stagger planting of your bulbs so that you have flowers for a longer period. From planting they take 6-8 weeks to flower. Then choose a pot that is not too big as they like to be snug in a container.

• Soak the bulbs in water for a few hours to rehydrate the roots.
• Fill a pot with potting soil and sit the bulb on top. Top up with potting soil, firm down and water. A third of the bulb should be left above the soil.
• Add a layer of fine grit to keep the soil moist.
• Leave the pot in a warm, dark place for a couple of weeks and then bring it out when it starts to shoot. Choose a spot with bright but indirect light and out of direct sunlight.

Caring for amaryllis

• Water once a week when the top 2cm of soil is dry. Water from the top and don’t allow bulbs to sit in water or they may rot.
• Once the bulbs start shooting you can feed them every couple of weeks with Hadeco Bulb Food at the recommended dosage.
• Trim off any faded flowers.

Did you know?
These bulbs are commonly sold under the name ‘amaryllis’ but they are actually the genus Hippeastrum and known as a true bulb. The proper Amaryllis species refers to our local belladonna lilies.

Amaryllis can be ordered online at www.hadeco.co.za

Read more about summer flowering bulbs here