6 Easy to Grow Amaryllis You Need NOW!

Have the winter blues? Dreaming of gazing upon beautiful blossoms, but spring is still so far away? Grow amaryllis!! These easy to grow indoor bulbs provide holiday cheer and help make getting through winter a breeze. In this post I offer tips and tricks to ensure success and at the end I’ve rounded up six great varieties that I’ve grown with ease!

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How to Choose an Amaryllis Bulb

Amaryllis, also referred to by its botanical name Hippeastrum, originate from the tropics of South America.  They come in a variety of colors including pink, red, white, and many combinations of these colors. My number one tip for growing amazing amaryllis is to choose the largest, healthiest, bulb you can find.  Make sure that your bulb feels firm. Squishy bulbs often have a disease or rot. If you are ordering online and cannot choose the bulbs yourself, rely on a retailer that is known for sending large healthy bulbs. Large bulbs result in large flowers and strong plants that will often send up two flower stalks. Pictured above is a huge bulb that was sent in my order from online retailer AmericanMeadows.com.  Some other great places to purchase amaryllis bulbs online are Easytogrowbulbs.com, BrentandBeckysbulbs.com, and Vanengelen.com.

How to Plant an Amaryllis Bulb

It takes about 6-8 weeks for a potted amaryllis bulb to bloom, so a bit of planning is needed if you are hoping to have blooms for your holiday parties.  I have to admit there have been years where I lost track of time and was scrambling to find amaryllis bulbs and get them planted in time. In 2016 I was late placing my order but lucked out at Home Depot (after digging through several bins), and ‘Minerva’ and ‘Red Lion’ were planted on October 15th and bloomed in time for Thanksgiving (pictured above) and then each sent up another bloom stalk several weeks later.  Choose a good indoor potting mix to plant your bulbs in.  Make sure when you plant that you leave the upper 1/3 of the bulb exposed and pack the soil well.  I like to set mine deeper than halfway in the soil because they get very top heavy.  Water lightly until growth appears, then water as needed when the top inch of soil dries out.  Whatever you do, DO NOT over water these bulbs.  They can quickly rot.  Make sure that at least the top inch of potting mix has dried before providing more water.

Turn the Pot for Straight Stems

‘Appleblossom’ is another variety that took longer to bloom for me (almost 10 weeks).  ​It was well worth the wait because the blooms were very large and very beautiful. My number two tip for growing amazing amaryllis is to get straight stems by turning the pots as the bloom stalks reach toward the light.  How often to turn will depend on when the stalks start leaning.  As the stalk starts leaning, turn it so it leans in the other direction. Once the amaryllis flowers start to open, the stalk will seem to stiffen and straighten up and you will not have to turn it very often.  If you don’t want to turn your pot, then your other option is to stake the bloom stalk, being careful not to pierce the bulb.

Tips on Pots with Multiple Bulbs

My number three tip for growing amazing amaryllis is to be careful when planting more than one bulb in a pot.  You have to make sure that each bulb is in the same growth stage.  This can be more challenging if you are mixing varieties.  As you can see in the above picture, although ‘Papilio’ and ‘Red Pearl’ bloomed at the same time there was a third variety, ‘Moonlight’, that bloomed much earlier (right corner of pot).  Cutting the spent bloom left a stumpy looking bulb top remaining in the pot.  To prevent this, plant all of the same variety, or be familiar with the growing speeds of the varieties that you are combining.  Also make sure that all of your bulbs are in the same stage of growth.  If one has already formed a visible bloom stalk, it will bloom faster than the others.

6 Easy to Grow Amaryllis Varieties

Amaryllis are a welcome treat during the dark days of winter.  They are well worth the minimal effort involved!  Below is my experience with six easy to grow varieties that can be found at your local nursery or online.

‘Red Lion’- bright red, bloomed twice, easy to find (Home Depot),slight fragrance, large blooms, fast grower
‘Minerva’- red bloom with white star, bloomed twice, easy to find (Home Depot), large blooms, fast grower
‘Appleblossom’- white streaked with pastel pink, easy to find (Home Depot), bloomed once, huge blooms, slow grower
‘Red Pearl’- deep velvety red, order online (American Meadows), bloomed twice, huge blooms, fast grower
‘Moonlight’- white with tinge of green, order online (American Meadows), two bloom stalks at once, large blooms, fast grower
‘Papilio’- white with green and red veins, order online (American Meadows), bloomed twice, small blooms, fast grower

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it inspires you to grow these gorgeous (and easy!) flowers.   I would love to hear down in the comments if you thought this post was helpful.   Also, you can follow my Instagram feed for daily garden inspiration!

Thanks for reading and happy gardening!

Heather