Amaryllis is an excellent plant that can make winter days more colorful. Its bulbs come in many different colors: fiery red, white, candy stripes, even lavender. They can often be found at garden centers so you can purchase them to be grown in your home. They flower in February and with some care, they can produce beautiful flowers that will fill your home with color.

Amaryllis bulbs usually flower 7 to 10 weeks from the time they are potted. Usually, Amaryllis plants are bought already potted so all you need to provide to start them properly is to water them. At first, it's important to give them plenty of water. After this initial watering, however, it's important to water only when the top inch of soil is completely dry to the touch.

How to Plant the Bulbs

If the bulbs are sold in bags, they should be planted in a pot with good potting compost. It's important to plant each bulb up to its neck, with the soil firmed to secure the bulb in place.

Keep the potted bulbs in a warm place with direct sunlight. An ideal temperature for the Amaryllis bulbs is 68 to 70 degrees F, which is the usual home temperature.

You should water the bulbs sparingly until the steam appears. After that, increase watering when the leaves and the bud appear. Once the stem has reached its full growth the flowers of the new bloom will develop rapidly.

If you wish to achieve a more unique, exotic look, you can grow Amaryllis in glass vases. If you choose this method, make sure to support the bulbs and roots with stones.

Another thing you can do is to plant your bulbs at intervals of two weeks. If you do this, you can enjoy a continuous stream of blooms during winter months. This way, your home will be beautifully decorated and full of colors during the whole winter.

Photo credit: Teresa Trimm