Amaryllis

This time of year is a favorite of mine because of the Amaryllis' that bloom.  They are one of the easiest plants to grow indoors and bring an amazingly magical beauty to any room.  I collected them for years and this year we had dozens of beautiful blooms.  This one sits on my piano.  The orange and white striking.  Amaryllis needs good sun to get the stalk growing but once the blooms arrive it's best to move them to a shady area.  This set up is great because they don't get too much light with the curtain being closed.

Another favorite of mine is the deep reds.  The inside looks like velvet.  This is the 2nd stalk that came up on her. Notice she isn't in front of a window.  Amaryllis will produce beautiful blooms whether they get sun or not - but they must have sun for the stalk to grow.

The trick to growing Amaryllis each year and not having to buy new ones is the after care.  Once your blooms have finished and the danger of frost has passed. Move your plants outside in a sunny area.  Keep them watered - but not soggy.  Too much water will rot the bulb.  Keeping the leaves luch and green makes the blooms the next year even bigger.  They will also develop side shoots to produce extra stalks.  Near the end of summer, remove the bulbs from the dirt.  Put them in a paper bag in a cool spot.  I put mine if the bottom drawer of my fridge for approx. 2 weeks. They need the chill to force them to bloom.