Holiday Drama Queen: The Striking, Yet Simple Amaryllis

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., October 17, 2012 – The large-flowering, dramatic amaryllis is one of the easiest bulbs to grow and it comes in an array of colors including white, pink, coral, red and even striped! You can find amaryllis bulbs in home stores or garden centers in late October or November, or you can purchase them online. Remember the bigger the bulb, the more blooms you will enjoy! Make sure you plan ahead, as amaryllis take around 8-10 weeks to bloom.

Materials:

  • 1 amaryllis bulb
  • 6-inch wide container (bark, driftwood, etc.) – lined and w/o a drainage hole
  • Soil OR pebbles

Directions:

  • Fill the container two-thirds full with soil OR pebbles.
  • Place the amaryllis bulb on soil, pointed end facing up.
  • Add more soil OR pebbles around bulb, leaving top third of bulb exposed.
  • Water and place container in a sunny area.

Make sure to water periodically to prevent it from drying out. In about 4 weeks green stalks will begin to emerge. As it grows, you may want to stake it to keep it from leaning. Once they bloom, they'll continue blooming for up to 2 months!

Key Points:

  • Wet roots. Water it periodically so that the roots are wet BUT not the bulb itself. A wet bulb encourages rot.
  • Big bulb, big bloom. The size of an amaryllis bulb is related not only to the large size of the bloom it produces, but also to the number of blooms it will produce. Larger bulbs produce more blooms.
  • It packs its own lunch. A flower bulb is actually a storehouse. It's a compact container that holds not only a future flower, but also all the nutrients it needs for growth in its first season.

Find more inspiration at www.DigDropDone.com.

About Dig.Drop.Done.

Dig.Drop.Done™ is a three-year, North American educational campaign to introduce flowering bulbs to a new generation of potential gardeners and demystify the bulb-growing process. Through a website, digital and print advertising, social media and public relations, the campaign will show women just how simple, beautiful and rewarding flowering bulbs can be. For more information, visit www.DigDropDone.com.

Dig.Drop.Done is sponsored by the Dig.Drop.Done Foundation (a select group of major Dutch flower bulb exporters that are members of Anthos, Holland’s Royal trade association for nursery stock and flower bulbs) and iBulb, a foundation that was set up by Anthos in January 2012 to focus on the financing and implementation of three activities important to the Dutch flower bulb sector: promotion, technical research and market access. iBulb supports all major Dutch companies in the dry sales and forcing business, which together represent more than 90 percent of Holland’s worldwide flower bulb export business. Learn more at www.iBulb.org.