http://www.extension.umn.edu/g...

What a great article. In the fall, I will be giving a program on Amaryllis for my Master Gardener group. This would be a great handout for people who choose to keep their bulbs in pots to bring indoors for blooming.

Barb, great article on the Royal Colors site

SOUTHERN GARDENERS CAN ENJOY USING “THE SOUTHERNER’S TULIP”
February 28, 2017
By Barbara Sharf

Grow Amaryllis in the Southern Garden by Barbara Sharf
Southern gardeners can enjoy using “The Southerner’s Tulip” in our landscape design. Hippeastrum species and hybrids, commonly known as Amaryllis, bloom and thrive without the sub-freezing dormancy that is necessary for tulips, large-flowered daffodils, and other spring bulbs that are garden staples in colder climates.


The older Hybrids

Some of the older hybrids, such as Red Lion and Apple Blossom, do very well in the Southern garden. Some of the H. species are also quite successful, such as H. striatum and H. vittatum. My own favorite is the “pass-along” amaryllis, unnamed varieties that have been passed along from garden to garden, over many generations. They are ideally adapted to the conditions of the South and thrive in spite of neglect, inclement weather, disease, and pests. My “pass-along” bulbs came from the front yard of an abandoned home in my neighborhood. The original seven bulbs have spread to form a large bed of beautiful spring blooms.


Direct outdoor planting.

The potted Amaryllis, which we received at Xmas, can be planted outdoors as soon as the nights are consistently above freezing. Bulbs can also be purchased locally or from Internet sites for direct outdoor planting. Plant the bulbs so the neck is just visible. After the spring bloom is finished, dig up any bulbs that have started to heave out of the ground, separate off the mature bulblets, and replant them at the proper depth. During the active growth of spring and summer, regular applications of a slow-acting fertilizer and regular water will help the bulb to recover and produce next year’s blooms. The Xmas Amaryllis bulb has been specially forced and is depleted after blooming. This bulb can take up to three years to recover and to bloom in the garden.

Pic. Barbara Sharf Pic. Barbara Sharf
Outdoor care

Amaryllis do well in a good garden soil. The major danger is boggy soil that stays wet, encouraging disease. It helps to redirect sprinkle heads used for lawn irrigation away from the Amaryllis. Hand watering is better when rain is sparse. During winter dormancy, lawn irrigation is especially dangerous for the bulbs, which need to dry out while dormant. In areas of questionable drainage, raised beds are a good solution.

Amaryllis need at least 1/2 day of sun to bloom well. In the deep South they can be grown under a high dappled shade if they still get early morning and late afternoon sun.

The bulbs need to be protected from a hard or prolonged freeze, which will damage the basal plate, where flowers are formed. Choosing a sheltered microclimate, such as near a wall which radiates heat at night, will extend the northernmost limits of growing Amaryllis. Planting at the proper depth and mulching will also help in protecting the bulb. Even in warmer zones, a frost blanket or dry leaf mulch will provide protection when a frost is expected. In warmer climates, remove the cover as the day warms up.

Amaryllis have a short winter dormancy in the South. In response to decreasing day length, cooler nights, and dryer soil, they will die back to the ground, usually in December and January. New growth will appear, both leaves and flowers, as early as mid February. Growing a variety of cultivars can extend the blooming season into early May. The leaves may die back in mid summer, putting out a second set of leaves in late summer. In rare cases, a second flower scape will appear in the fall.


Pests and diseases

Pests and diseases seem to be a result of overly wet soil. Snails can be a real problem in a wet spring. They eat holes in the buds, which are evident when the flower opens. I have used a rose/flower systemic fungicide when disease is evident.

Without cool basements, Southern gardeners have less success in forcing their potted Amaryllis to re-bloom at Xmas than do our Northern friends. Northerners are better able to reproduce the necessary conditions to force early fall dormancy. This is why I advise Southern gardeners to forego forcing their Amaryllis to rebloom at Xmas. Instead, we are so lucky to be able to enjoy them as a landscape plant.

1 Pic. Barbara Sharf
Source and picture credits : Barbara Sharf

I am new to growing amaryllis. My first one bloomed a few weeks ago. The second one has buds on it and will soon open. However the third one seems to be having a problem, a crack/hole in the stem. There are also brown marks on the stem. The plant is not top heavy, it's only about 2' tall. I have seen no insects around. Any idea what may have caused this? marg

@marric Is that a leaf, or a scape with a bud on it? If it is a leaf, I would remove the leaf and throw it way - do not compost it. If it is a flower, I would let it go ahead and bloom, and then cut it off after the flower dies and also throw it away. I am not sure what the problem is, but I have had that happen on occasion - since it goes all the up the leaf/stem, I would take a guess that it might be some sort of disease, and not an injury. Once the bud starts to open up a bit, you could also just cut it and put it in a vase - turn the damaged part to the back so you can't see and still enjoy your flower. I suspect the actual flower will be fine.

Thanks for the response. It is a scape with a bud on it, actually the plant is sending up 2 scapes with buds. They're about to open. Both scapes have the brown spot on them. The hole seems to be getting bigger but not harming the buds. I'll do as you suggest and cut it when they start to open. Here's a picture of my other one, which is the same color but taller.

Very pretty!

Marric: Your bulb may be infected with the bulb scale mite. The red streaks up the stems is one sign of that. The damage doesn't look too bad, so it should bloom, and you have to make a judgement call as to whether or not you want to keep this bulb, since it could be a source of bulb mite infestations to your other bulbs. A split in the stem or in the bud, can be a sign that there is a grub inside from the narcissus bulb fly. That came as an egg in the bulb when you received it. Both the scale mites and the bulb fly larva are occasional issues in commercial bulbs.

Thanks for the info. The buds are just now starting to open, we'll see how well it does. Since I have 3 that are the same color, I may just sacrifice one of them. I did notice that another one is starting to show the same brownish-red marks. I'll have to keep an eye on the big one, it has 4 blooms right now. Now to look for ones other than red ones, LOL.

@marric -- easytogrowbulbs.com always has a good selection at reasonable cost. And Barbara likes to order from White Flower Farms. And depending where you live, getting small bulbetts from other members is sometimes also an option. But watch out, once you get the Amaryllis bug, you may not be able to stop!

Curious how many some of the members have.

@crawgarden : Desire, Papilio, Picotee, Rilona, Sumatra, Lady Jane, Naranja, Nagano, Royal Velvet, Apple Blossom, Cayenne, Gervase, Minerva, Orange Sovereign, Ruby Gem, Snow Drift, Terra Mystica. I also have some Mandonii seedling that will not bloom for at least another year. A also have some other seedlings that I have crossed myself: Naranja x Picotee, Nagano x Picotee, and Rilona x Picotee.

@crawgarden - how about you?

Christie, thats quite the collection!

16 different varieties, 36 total plants Started collecting in 2003, the only ones I remember are Gervase, Double Dream. Purchased from Colorblends, Van Engelen and at the floating market.
Good opportunity to go into the basement and given them a little water.

I really like Gervase - more and more each time it blooms.