Sally Scalera: Amaryllis bulbs are holiday gifts that give back year after year

As you go about your holiday gift shopping, why not consider amaryllis bulbs?

Amaryllis bulbs produce colorful blooms that come in red, pink, white and striped.  They are also easy to grow, will spread over time, and can be found in many stores right now.

Here in Florida, with our mild climate, we can grow amaryllis in the landscape and containers. 

Amaryllis are an excellent landscape plant that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used in a mass planting of 10 or more plants of the same color, or planted in scattered locations throughout a plant bed to provide splashes of color and texture.

Amaryllis can also be planted as a boarder to create a pleasing contrast to a backdrop of evergreen shrubbery.  Feel free to plant amaryllis in tree islands, on slopes or near a gate entrance.

Amaryllis will grow best in light shade to full sun. Heavily shaded locations should be avoided, because the plants will not grow or flower well. Well-drained soil is a must.  The soil for an amaryllis bed should be amended with a minimum of 4 inches of organic matter, such as compost or aged manure.

The bulbs may be left in the ground for years and periodically divided and replanted. They should be planted 10-12 inches apart, set so that the top of the bulb is showing, and the neck of the bulb is protruding above the ground. This is very important because bulbs that are planted too deeply won’t produce flowers, only foliage.

Amaryllis usually bloom well without much help from us, but I recommend adding a beneficial soil microbe inoculant such as Mycoapply, Plant Success, Xtreme gardening or Bushdoctors to the hole at planting time. Water is crucial for amaryllis growth, and with the aid of endomycorrhizae, watering will be easier.  

If your amaryllis are going to be planted among evergreen plants, be sure to get a mycorrhizae mixture that includes ectomycorrhizae to help the evergreen plants also.  A layer of mulch will help to conserve rain and irrigation water.  

A good cultural practice for amaryllis is to remove faded blooms before seeds are produced, unless you want the plants to multiply.  When seeds are produced, there will be reduced flowering the next year.  Removing faded blooms will also help to maintain the beauty of the planting.  

To increase the life of the blooms, remove the anthers, which will prevent pollination and the production of seeds. The anthers are the part of the flower that produces the pollen and can be recognized as the long, yellow filaments sticking out from the center of the flower.

Amaryllis are easy to find during the holidays and come in large, single blooms or double flowers that contain twice the number of petals. Also available, but harder to find, are dwarf amaryllis.

Dwarf amaryllis produce smaller flowers that are by no means less impressive. They are an ideal compliment to the larger blooming amaryllis and can be stunning as a mass planting of their own. Though their flowers are smaller, the dwarf plants produce up to 18 flowers per bulb.

The Belladonna lily, amaryllis belladonna, bears clusters of fragrant flowers about three inches in diameter that come in colors of pink, rosy red, mauve, or white.  The blooms typically have contrasting yellow throats.

Another flowering bulb to keep an eye out for is paperwhite.  

I found Ziva paperwhite bulbs (which I know as daffodils) just last week, and I was thrilled because I grew them in a sunny location in my yard for years.  They grew without any help from me or the dirt they were growing in.

So, if you’re looking for a plant to give as a gift, you may want to look for some amaryllis or paperwhite bulbs while you’re out shopping. Many of our garden centers have bulbs packaged in attractive boxes for gift giving.  

For the entire scoop on amaryllis, search for our bulletin at edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences.