An amaryllis does the whole job in ten weeks and can do it again every year for twenty years. It is also one of the most wasted houseplants there is: the bulb flowers, somebody puts it in a dark cupboard in February, and by November it is soft and sour.
That ending is rarely bad luck. It comes down to what you do with the leaves between January and September, how sparingly you water the first three weeks, and which bulb you picked up. Below is the whole year month by month, with figures on how big a bulb must be to give several stalks, a dated countdown for hitting Christmas, and a straight answer on the dry rest in the garage. Dates are written for zones 3–6, where the summer outdoors is short.
| Key figure | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hippeastrum, not Amaryllis belladonna |
| Pot size | 2–3 cm (1 in) clearance around the bulb |
| Planting depth | Top third of the bulb above the compost |
| Compost | Houseplant compost with 20–30 % grit or pumice |
| Starting temperature | 20–22 °C (68–72 °F) for three weeks |
| Temperature in flower | 15–18 °C (59–64 °F) extends the display |
| Planting to flower | 6–8 weeks, a saved bulb 8–10 |
| Light | Brightest window you have, south or west |
| Feeding | Every 10–14 days, March to mid-August |
| Dormancy | 8–10 weeks at 8–13 °C (46–55 °F), dark and dry |
| Repotting | Every three to four years |
| Hardiness | None. A houseplant in zones 3–6, summered outdoors |
Contents
- Amaryllis or Hippeastrum: what are you buying?
- How do you pick a good amaryllis bulb?
- Pot, compost and planting step by step
- How long does an amaryllis take to flower?
- Timing the flowers for Christmas
- Care while it is in flower
- The leaves are the engine: January to September
- Does an amaryllis need a dry dormancy?
- Repotting, top-dressing and offsets
- Waxed amaryllis bulbs and why they last one season
- The year-round cycle and zone chart
- Why is my amaryllis not flowering?
- Common mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
Amaryllis or Hippeastrum: what are you buying?
The confusion is worth two minutes, because it explains why care advice online contradicts itself. The plant you buy in a box in November is Hippeastrum, from South and Central America. It flowers indoors in winter and is not hardy outdoors in zones 3–6.
The true Amaryllis belladonna is South African, flowers outdoors in late summer and is hardy only to about zone 7. Any guide about August flowers and bulbs left in the ground year round means belladonna, not your Christmas amaryllis. Everything below is Hippeastrum.
Cultivars you will actually find
'Red Lion' is the classic deep red and the most widely sold. 'Minerva' is red with a white star, 'Apple Blossom' pale pink over white, 'Picotee' white with a fine red edge. 'Double Dream' and 'Dancing Queen' are doubles, heavier and need staking sooner. They also flower about a week later than singles of the same grade.
How do you pick a good amaryllis bulb?
This step decides more than all the care that follows. A small bulb cannot make three stalks however well you water it: the flower buds were set before it left the grower.
Circumference sets the number of stalks
Amaryllis bulbs are graded by circumference, the measurement around the widest part, in centimetres. Online sellers print it; a supermarket box usually does not, so bring a tape measure.
| Circumference | Flower stalks | Flowers per stalk | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/26 cm | 1 | 2–3 | Budget packs, a thin show |
| 26/28 cm | 1, sometimes 2 | 3–4 | Smallest grade that gives a real display |
| 28/30 cm | 1–2 | 3–4 | The usual supermarket grade |
| 30/32 cm | 2 | 4–5 | Good value, three weeks of flower |
| 32/34 cm | 2, sometimes 3 | 4–5 | Nursery and mail-order quality |
| 34/36 cm and up | 3 | 4–5 | Top grade, up to twelve flowers |
A 34/36 cm bulb often costs twice a 28/30, but gives three times the flowers over five to six weeks instead of two. Per flower, the big one is cheaper.
Three things to check in the shop
Press gently with your thumb all the way round. The bulb should be firm everywhere, and a soft patch at the base is rot that cannot be fixed. The basal plate should be dry and solid with short pale root stubs attached; a bulb with none takes two weeks longer to get going.
Then look for red streaks. Thin, raised dark-red lines on the outer scales or the neck are red blotch, and it travels home with you. Red dots a millimetre across are only pigment, common on red cultivars.
Pot, compost and planting step by step
Amaryllis flowers best slightly pot-bound. A big pot holds more compost than the roots can dry out, and wet compost around a bulb means rot. Allow 2–3 cm (1 in) of clearance between bulb and rim. A 30 cm bulb is about 9 cm (3.5 in) across and wants a 13–14 cm (5.5 in) pot; a 36 cm bulb wants 16–17 cm (6.5 in). Make it a heavy pot: two 60 cm (24 in) stalks tip a light plastic one at the first touch.
- Stand the base of the bulb in lukewarm water, about 22 °C (72 °F), for 24 hours, basal plate only and never the scales. This cuts about a week off the time to flower.
- Mix four parts houseplant compost with one part grit, pumice or perlite. Water should run through in seconds.
- Check the pot has drainage holes, fill it halfway and shape a small cone in the middle.
- Set the bulb on the cone, roots spread downwards. Do not snap them; old roots still work.
- Fill in and firm lightly so the top third of the bulb stands clear. The neck must be in open air.
- Leave 1 cm (1/2 in) below the rim, water once thoroughly and let it drain. Never leave the pot in a saucer of water.
- Put it somewhere warm and bright, 20–22 °C. Above a radiator in a window is close to ideal for three weeks.
- Do not water again until you see a green tip or the compost is dry well down, often ten to fourteen days.
The same principle applies to anything forced indoors, and the basics are in the guide to flower bulbs.
How long does an amaryllis take to flower?
Six to eight weeks for a new dry bulb at 20–22 °C. A saved bulb straight out of cool storage takes eight to ten weeks, and one already showing a bud in the shop three to four. Temperature is the lever you control most.
Warmth before light in the first weeks
For three weeks the bulb runs on stored energy and needs no photosynthesis. Warmth starts the bud. At 22 °C the stalk appears noticeably sooner than at 18 °C (64 °F), and at 15 °C it can take a month, which is why a bulb in a cool bedroom looks dead for four weeks and then flowers in February. It is the opposite of growing tulips, where cold is what makes flowering possible.
Once the stalk is 10 cm (4 in) tall, priorities swap. Now it needs light, or it comes up pale and drawn. North of zone 5 the December window is weak, and a grow light on a twelve-hour day makes a real difference to how stiffly the stalk stands, as with grow lights for seedlings.
Water sparingly, that is the whole trick
Almost every failure at this stage is too much water. The bulb has everything it needs inside it, and a wet bulb with no roots rots within two weeks. Water once at planting, then not again until you see green.
Mean watering has a bonus: the stalk comes shorter and thicker. Generously watered bulbs throw 70 cm (28 in) stalks that fall over; sparingly watered ones often stop at 45–55 cm (18–22 in) and stand unaided. Once the first bud swells, water when the top 2 cm (3/4 in) is dry.
Staking tall stalks
Stake before the stalk needs it, at 25–30 cm (10–12 in). Push a thin bamboo cane down the inside of the pot wall, not through the middle where the bulb sits, and tie loosely in two places. A flopped stalk rarely straightens: it is hollow and kinks at the fold. Turn the pot a quarter turn every other day.
Timing the flowers for Christmas
Plenty of pages say "six to eight weeks ahead" and leave it there. Here is the countdown with dates, worked back from 25 December. Adjust a couple of days either way, no more; the display lasts two to three weeks anyway.
| Bulb type and starting temperature | Weeks | Plant on | Flowers around |
|---|---|---|---|
| New large dry bulb, 34/36 cm, at 22 °C | 6–7 | 6–13 November | 25 December |
| New dry bulb, 28/32 cm, at 20–22 °C | 7–8 | 30 October–6 November | 25 December |
| New dry bulb in a cool house, 18 °C | 8–9 | 23–30 October | 25 December |
| Your own saved bulb after 8–10 weeks' rest | 8–10 | 16–30 October | 25 December |
| Bulb already showing a bud in the shop | 3–4 | 26 November–2 December | 25 December |
| Waxed bulb, no compost | 4–6 | 11–25 November | 25 December |
| New Year instead | as above | push everything seven days later | 1 January |
Two rescues if you miss the window. A bulb planted late can be hurried at 24 °C (75 °F), buying three to five days. If it runs early and shows a bud by 10 December, move it to 13–15 °C (55–59 °F): development slows by up to a week and the flowers last longer. For flowers all winter, plant three bulbs a fortnight apart, on 21 October, 4 November and 18 November. October is also the last call for planting spring bulbs outdoors.
Care while it is in flower
When the first flower opens, move the pot out of direct sun and away from the heat source. An amaryllis at 15–18 °C holds its flowers three weeks; at 22 °C it manages ten days. That is the single most effective thing you can do.
Water evenly now, so the compost stays just moist and never wet, and tip out anything left in the saucer after half an hour. Do not feed while it is in flower: the bulb is living on its own reserves.
Cut each flower off at its base as it fades, so no energy goes into setting seed. Seed pods cost the bulb a great deal, and seedlings take four to six years to flower. When the stalk is over, cut it 5 cm (2 in) above the bulb. Do not pull it off: a torn stalk lets rot straight into the bulb.
The leaves are the engine: January to September
This is where next year's flowers are decided, and where most amaryllis are lost. Flowering emptied the bulb. Everything that refills it happens in the leaves between January and September, roughly six months of work.
Light, water and feed
Move the plant to your brightest window as soon as the stalk is gone. It should carry four to six leaves: dark green, broad and stiff. Pale floppy leaves mean too little light, and no amount of feeding makes flower buds in the dark.
Water when the top 2 cm has dried. Feed every 10 to 14 days from March with a balanced liquid houseplant food at half strength. From July switch to something high in potassium, tomato feed for instance: potassium favours storage and flower buds rather than more leaf.
Summer outdoors in a short season
Once nights hold above 10 °C (50 °F) the pot can go outside, a fortnight or more after your last frost date, not on it. Outdoor light beats any window and shows in the width of the leaves. Harden the plant off a week in shade, or the leaves scorch white in two days.
Stand the pot in dappled shade or morning sun, sheltered from wind. Sinking it to the rim in a border keeps the roots cool; put mesh underneath so roots do not escape and slugs do not move in. Slugs eat amaryllis leaves with enthusiasm, and a copper ring usually settles it.
August and September: winding down
The last feed goes on in mid-August; keep feeding into September and the bulb builds leaf instead of finishing. In zones 3 and 4 the pot comes in during the first week of September, well before frost, and the leaves carry on in a bright window. Frost-damaged leaves rot back into the bulb, and that damage does not show until November.
Does an amaryllis need a dry dormancy?
No, not necessarily. That is the answer missing from most care sheets, and it is worth being plain about, because the misunderstood rest kills more bulbs than it saves.
Modern large-flowered Hippeastrum can rebloom with no dry period at all, provided the bulb got enough light and feed over summer. The New York Botanical Garden states outright that most large modern bulbs do not require a dormancy. The bulb sets flower buds once it reaches a certain size, not in response to drought.
What the rest does is hand you control of the date. Without it the bulb flowers when it pleases, usually March or April. With it, you decide on December. It is a timing tool, not a biological requirement.
Option one: dry rest, 8–10 weeks
Stop watering in late September. Let the leaves yellow and collapse on their own over three or four weeks, and only then cut them 2 cm above the bulb. Green leaf cut off is energy that never reached the bulb.
Put the pot somewhere dark and cool at 8–13 °C. An unheated spare room, a root cellar or a frost-free garage all work. Below 8 °C bud formation stalls; above 15 °C it does not count as rest. Give no water. With no cool room, keep the lifted bulb in a paper bag in the crisper drawer for six to eight weeks, but not beside apples: ethylene from fruit damages the flower bud. Afterwards replace the top layer of compost, water once and move it to the warm.
Option two: no rest, growing year round
Leave the plant in a bright window all winter, water sparingly and do not feed between October and February. The leaves stay on and the stalk comes when it comes, usually February to April. Nothing forgotten dries out or rots in a damp basement, but there are no Christmas flowers. With more than one bulb, run both tracks.
Choosing between them
Want Christmas flowers? Rest it. No space between 8 and 13 °C? No rest. Bulb small, or weak leaf growth last summer? No rest, and give it a year in the window to rebuild. A bulb that goes into dormancy with two thin leaves only comes out softer.
Repotting, top-dressing and offsets
Amaryllis needs repotting strikingly rarely. Every three to four years is enough, and it flowers better slightly pot-bound. Many repot every January out of habit and get thinner flowering in return.
Top-dress instead, once a year: scrape off the top 1 cm of old compost, the compacted salty layer, and replace it with fresh compost mixed with grit. It takes a minute and leaves the roots undisturbed.
Repot when roots push out of the drainage holes, when the bulb presses the rim, or when three-year-old compost lets water run straight through without wetting. Do it in January or February, never with a half-grown stalk in the pot.
Offsets and dividing
A healthy bulb makes small offsets around its base. Leave them and you build a full pot with several stalks at once, at the cost of competition for the mother bulb and slightly smaller flowers.
Divide at repotting. Twist off an offset that is at least a third of the mother bulb's size and has roots of its own. If it holds fast, cut with a clean knife so a sliver of the basal plate comes with it, and let the cut dry an hour. An offset 5 cm across needs two to three years to reach flowering size, one at 3 cm about four. Treat it like an adult bulb but skip the rest.
Waxed amaryllis bulbs and why they last one season
The waxed bulbs that stand on a wire coil with no compost are a clever one-season product. The bulb flowers on stored energy alone. The wax holds moisture in, but the bulb can neither take up water nor make new roots, and the roots are usually cut off before waxing. Afterwards it is empty with no way to refill.
To try anyway: peel off the wax and coil as soon as the flowers fade in February, trim the dry root stubs, plant with the top third clear and give it a full summer outdoors with proper feeding. Roughly half form new roots, and those rarely flower before the second year, often with one stalk rather than two. An experiment, not a plan.
The year-round cycle and zone chart
Amaryllis is grown indoors, so it has no hardiness zone of its own. The cycle below runs the same wherever you are. What changes with zone is how long the pot can stand outside.
| Month | What the bulb is doing | What you do | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | Resting, or a new bulb going in | Plant for Christmas flowers, water once | 20–22 °C potted, 8–13 °C resting |
| November | Stalk growing out of the bulb | Water sparingly, turn the pot, stake at 25 cm | 20–22 °C |
| December | Flowering | Move cooler, cut off spent flowers | 15–18 °C |
| January | Display ends, leaves appear | Cut the stalk 5 cm above the bulb | 18–20 °C |
| February | Leaf growth, sometimes a second stalk | Water regularly, repot if due | 18–20 °C |
| March | Leaves rebuilding the bulb | First feed, then every 10–14 days | 18–22 °C |
| April | Strong leaf growth | Feed, water, turn towards the light | 18–22 °C |
| May | Bulb gaining circumference | Harden off in shade, watch the nights | Above 10 °C at night |
| June | Peak growth | Dappled shade outdoors, feed, watch for slugs | Ambient |
| July | Flower buds forming inside | Switch to high-potassium feed | Ambient |
| August | Last of the build-up | Final feed in mid-August | Ambient |
| September | Ripening off | Bring in, water less, stop by month end | 15–18 °C indoors |
Here is the outdoor window by zone. Move the pot out when nights hold above 10 °C, and bring it in with a fortnight to spare before the first frost.
| USDA zone | Out no earlier than | In by | Weeks outdoors | How to shift the cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | 1 June | 1 October | 17 | Standard cycle, rest 8–10 weeks |
| Zone 5 | 10 June | 20 September | 14 | Leaves in a bright window to mid-October, rest 8 weeks |
| Zone 4 | 15 June | 10 September | 12 | Leaves under a grow light to late October, rest 6–8 weeks |
| Zone 3 | 20 June | 1 September | 10 | Leaves indoors to early November, rest 6 weeks, plant a week later |
The point of the summer outdoors is light, not warmth. In zones 3 and 4 the window is so short that outdoor time is a bonus; the effort belongs in a bright window plus a grow light from September on. A bulb kept under twelve hours of light into late October builds as much as a zone 6 bulb that stood outside, and a six-week rest still lands the flowers at Christmas.
Why is my amaryllis not flowering?
Almost always too little light or feed last summer, or a bulb that is simply too small. The chart takes the common symptoms.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves but no flower stalk | No flower buds laid down: too little light or feed last summer, or a bulb under 26 cm | A full year in the brightest window with feed March to August. Skip the rest this year. |
| Stalk stays short and flowers down among the leaves | Too cool a start, under 18 °C, or too little light as the stalk extended | Nothing to do this year. Start at 22 °C next time. |
| Buds shrivel and never open | Drought stress, a cold draughty spot, or wet compost that damaged the roots | Even moisture and even temperature, away from doors and draughty glass |
| Raised red streaks on leaves, stalk and outer scales | Red blotch or leaf scorch, Stagonospora curtisii, now Peyronellaea curtisii | Cut off affected leaves, drier moving air, never water over the bulb |
| Bulb soft at the base, sour smell, leaves yellowing from below | Bulb rot from wet compost or a damaged basal plate | Cut away everything soft back to firm white tissue, dry two days, repot in fresh dry compost. Rot in the basal plate: discard. |
| Tunnels inside the bulb and a fat yellow-white grub in the base | Narcissus bulb fly, Merodon equestris, which laid eggs at the neck while the pot stood outdoors | Discard the bulb, it rarely survives. Next summer, cover the compost with mesh or gravel. |
A word on red blotch, most often mistaken for something else. The streaks are raised and elongated, usually on new leaves and the lower stalk, and the affected part bends at the lesion and dries. The fungus survives in dry leaf debris and on the outer scales and spreads in humid air. Dry moving air and watering the compost rather than the bulb keep it in check. The same genus causes leaf scorch on daffodils, so do not stand the pot among narcissi over summer.
Common mistakes
- Too big a pot. More compost than the roots can dry out means a wet bulb, and a wet bulb rots.
- Too much water before the stalk shows. The bulb carries its own energy. Wait for green.
- Planting too deep. The top third stands clear. Compost over the neck traps moisture around the bud initials.
- Cutting the leaves off after flowering. The leaves refill the bulb. Cut them only once they yellow on their own.
- No feeding between March and August. Without summer feed there is no flower next winter.
- Resting it in a warm dark cupboard. Dark without cool is not rest, it is starvation. It needs 8–13 °C.
- Leaving the pot out through the first frost night. Frost-damaged leaves rot back into the bulb.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my amaryllis to rebloom?
Keep the leaves in bright light from January to September, feeding every 10 to 14 days from March to mid-August. Stop watering in late September, let the leaves yellow, then rest the bulb eight to ten weeks at 8–13 °C in the dark. Water once and move it warm.
Does an amaryllis have to have a dry dormancy?
No. Modern large-flowered cultivars can rebloom without a dry period if they had plenty of light and feed over summer. The rest is a tool for controlling when the flowers arrive, not a biological requirement. Without it the bulb usually flowers in March or April instead of December.
When should I plant an amaryllis bulb for Christmas?
Between 23 October and 13 November, depending on the bulb and how warm the house is. A large new dry bulb at 22 °C takes six to seven weeks and goes in around 6 November. A saved bulb after a rest needs eight to ten weeks, so mid-October.
What size pot does an amaryllis need?
Only 2–3 cm (1 in) wider than the bulb all the way round, so 13–14 cm across for a 30 cm bulb and 16–17 cm for a 36 cm one. Amaryllis flowers better slightly pot-bound, and a large pot keeps the compost wet, which invites rot.
Why is my amaryllis producing leaves but no flowers?
The bulb did not store enough energy to lay down flower buds. The usual causes are too little light over summer, no feeding between March and August, leaves cut off too early, or a bulb under 26 cm circumference. Give it a full summer in bright light.
How much should I water an amaryllis?
Once at planting, then not at all until you see a green tip or the compost is dry well down, often ten to fourteen days. While the stalk grows, water when the top 2 cm is dry. From March to August water regularly, and always empty the saucer.
Can you save a waxed amaryllis bulb for next year?
Rarely with much success. The roots are cut away and the wax stops the bulb taking up water, so it flowers entirely on stored energy. To try, peel the wax off in February, plant with the top third clear and feed it all summer. About half form new roots.
What are the red streaks on my amaryllis?
Raised, elongated dark-red streaks on leaves, stalk and outer scales are red blotch, also called leaf scorch, caused by the fungus Peyronellaea curtisii, formerly Stagonospora curtisii. The affected part bends at the lesion and dries. Cut off affected leaves and water the compost, not the bulb.
Want a reminder in mid-October that it is time to pot the amaryllis for Christmas flowers? It comes with our newsletter, alongside the season's other jobs.