Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Amaryllis

Q. I planted a large amaryllis bulb in a pot last December and it bloomed giving 3 magnificent flowers. Now the flowers have dried up with some seed like thing at the end. Also a new shoot has sprung up which looks exactly like the last one. Will this also grow to bloom? Also should I cut the earlier shoot with the dried flowers? What else should I do to preserve the bulb? There is no foliage - just a shoot with the flowers at top.

A. You want to keep the top growing as much as you can. I am surprised that you have no green foliage. The brown dry thing you describe is a seed pod. You can harvest it and plant the seeds indoors now, or later outside in the warm spring to grow new ones. But, from seed to blooming bulb size takes a couple years!

Keep the top watered. You may have another bloom stalk coming. Or, it may be foliage. Either one, give it very good light, water when dry, and feed every two weeks with indoor or outdoor fertilizer.

Place the plant outside in the spring and encourage it to grow green. These leaves will produce the food that the bulb needs to produce new blooms for next year. Stake it if it gets wobbly and keep it going up until frost.

Q. My Amaryllis has bloomed indoors this winter, but now what should I do?

A. It is natural for the outer leaves to yellow and die. Amaryllis last only so long indoors in a pot, not in a solarium or greenhouse. It is best to place it outside in the ground, or sink the pot in a garden bed after the last threat of frost in your area. Water in well, trim off any old, yellow, or brown leaves, and allow the new green foliage to appear from within the center.

Fertilizer is a necessary factor in keeping the plant growing healthy and green all summer long. Give it a general outdoor foliage food according to the label directions, no less often than twice a month.

You want the foliage to keep growing, as your spring-flowering bulbs should also. This builds up food in the bulbs, which in turn produces next year's blossoms.

If you have frost in your area, the amaryllis must be brought back inside to over-winter and bloom.

Jane writes~ I purchased a amewrillia and planted it; this was at least a month ago. How long does it take to start growing? So far it does not show any sign of growth. The bulb looks nice and healthy. I planted some paper whites at the same time and they have already bloomed and are done.

A. I trust you mean an amaryllis bulb. I sent one to my parents for the Holidays. It came with instructions as to planting, water, light and fertilizer. They do take quite a while to pop foliage out of the soil mix and then the bloom stalks. Paper whites are planted right on the top so they bloom quickly. But the wait will be worth it. I would say it may take 6 weeks from the start of watering until you see a shoot. The root system needs to grow first to support the tall thick stems and then the foliage and flowers appear. Give it good indirect light, temperatures no lower than 60F and no food until you see sprouts. Water only when quite dry to the touch or you may rot the bulb. You may need to use a small prop [stake] once the large flowers open.