Amarllyis- A Winter Blooming Miracle

As I am writing this November blog we have a possibility of a dusting of snow in the forecast this weekend. I really don't like cold weather but I can't help but get a little giddy when the possibility of the first snow is on the brink. I've always felt like snow was its own winter miracle and it just seems magical when it comes down. And while the snow might carry its own magic outside, inside I have something up my sleeve as well -The winter blooming Amaryllis.

I don't know how many years I have grown Amaryllis-I have had them on/off for the last 20-25 years. One would think in all that time that I would have become somewhat of an expert at growing them but that is just not the case. I mostly struggled with the watering part but never really fully understood how to bring them back into bloom the next season. However, now that I have a flower farm (we are just finishing our 4th season) I feel the pressure to grow them well and truly know what I am doing.

This will be the second year our farm has offered amaryllis bulbs for the Christmas/winter season. They really do make the best gifts for flower lovers. I never knew all the beautiful selections and options until the last few years. Most people are familiar with seeing the bulbs at big box stores during the Christmas season-this was also how I came of learn of them as well. Now that our farm offers them I have learned that the bigger the bulb-the bigger the fireworks of the bloom. The bulbs we offer are 36/38+ cm in size. All those numbers really mean is that the bulb will have 2-3 stems of blooms and each stem will have 4-6 blooms on it. Yes it will!. When I say these are gorgeous and show stopping- they really are.

Usually you get one stem at a time that shoots up and blooms, occassionally two will bloom together and many times when you think it is all done a third shoot arrives with more blooms. It's really a wonderful spectacle to behold and one I look forward to over and over again each winter.

So we get our bulbs shipped in late Sept/mid Oct and we pot them up in dirt and water them to pull them out of dormancy. We put them under grow lights and before you know it we see them budding up. Of course, it does matter what type of bulb it is-we grow the Peruvian or Dutch type. Typically the Peruvian will iniate bloom before or about Christmas and the Dutch is usually after Christmas. Either way is a win though-something big and beautiful blooming when nothing else is outside. There are also South African bulbs and others but we have not grown those yet.

I like to put mine where I can see it often so I get to enjoy it while it is blooming. Usually it winds up at the front entry door where I go back and forth to our bedroom throughout the days of winter so I don't miss a single bloom. But- it's important to keep them in a cool spot and rotate them daily so the stems grows straight. Water only when the top few inches of soil is dry so you don't rot the bulb.

I wish I could tell you I have a favorite color. They are all so beautiful I would never be able to decide. The one in the picture is Cherry Blossom-I just love her-she is such a beauty. But I think that of all of them when they bloom. Ha!Ha!

If you have never had the pleasure of growing the XL bulbs we offer or any one at all I think it's time you try. We will have them available for purchase on our website while supplies last and you can get them when we visit Bounty of the Barrens Farmer's Market in Nov and Dec. We include instructions on how to get them to rebloom and how to take care of them during the season. They really are not that hard to care for and they bring a tremendous amount of joy and beauty to your home in the throughs of the dreary winter. Of course if you have questions we would be more than happy to share what we know. Why don't you give the holiday Amaryllis a try!