Blooming plants are always a great idea for a gift, either on their own or included in a gift basket. Amaryllis and paperwhites make lovely holiday gifts and offer something different from the traditional poinsettia. Giving these plants while they are in flower makes the most impact, but they can also be given as bulbs to your gardening friends to have the satisfaction of growing them on their own.
Growing Amaryllis
Amaryllis is a unique indoor flowering plant and can easily be grown following these steps.
- Use a general-purpose potting soil and a 6” or 7” size plastic or clay pot. Put a thin layer of potting mix at the bottom of the pot and place the bulb in the center with the roots straight down. Make sure the upper half of the bulb remains above the soil surface and pack the potting mix gently between the roots and around the bulb.
- Thoroughly water the newly potted bulb until the excess water drains through the bottom of the pot. Until the new flower stalk has sprouted about 2 to 3 inches above the top of the bulb, watering should only be done if the soil feels dry to a depth of about an inch below the surface. As the flower stalk increases in height, more frequent watering will be required.
- Place the Amaryllis near a window where it will receive as much daylight as possible. Warm temperature conditions are preferred with about 70 degrees being ideal. To ensure the stem will grow straight, turn the pot occasionally because there is a tendency for the stem to lean towards the light.
Growing Paperwhites
Paperwhites are easy to grow indoors in either stones or potting soil, and take about six to eight weeks to flower.
- Start by putting several inches of stones in the bottom of a vase. Next, place a layer of paperwhite bulbs close together with the roots facing down. Add a few stones around the bulbs to help anchor them down, but leave the tops of bulbs exposed. Finally, add water till it reaches just below the base of the bulbs. If bulbs are touching water, they will most likely rot.
- Set your container or vase in a cool (50-60 degrees is ideal) place away from direct sunlight. Check bulbs frequently and water when the water level is at least an inch or more below the stones. In about three weeks, once bulbs have put out roots, you can move the container to a sunny window. To know if they’ve rooted, lightly tug on the bulbs and when there is some resistance to your pull it means there are roots.
Enjoy the beautiful blooms of the season!
