Amaryllis

How to care for Amaryllis

Light

During the growing and flowering period, place the plant in a bright position with indirect sunlight, such as a windowsill facing east or west. Direct midday sun can scorch the leaves and cause flower colours to fade prematurely. Once blooming has finished and the leaves are actively growing, maximum bright light encourages the bulb to store sufficient energy for the following season.

Watering

When potting a dry bulb, water sparingly until the first signs of growth appear, then increase watering gradually as the stem elongates. During active growth, water thoroughly whenever the top few centimetres of compost feel dry, allowing excess to drain freely. As the foliage begins to yellow in late summer or early autumn, reduce watering steadily and cease entirely once the leaves have died back, keeping the bulb completely dry throughout its dormant period of six to eight weeks.

Soil and potting

Use a rich, free-draining loam-based compost such as John Innes No. 2 mixed with perlite or coarse grit at a ratio of roughly two parts compost to one part grit. Good drainage is essential because the bulb is prone to rotting if kept in waterlogged conditions. Slightly acidic to neutral pH in the range 6.0 to 7.0 is appropriate.

Feeding

Once the flower stem is clearly visible, begin feeding with a balanced liquid fertiliser such as a 10-10-10 formulation every two weeks. After flowering has finished, switch to a high-potassium feed to support leaf growth and encourage the bulb to build up reserves. Continue feeding until the leaves start to die back naturally in late summer, then stop entirely for the dormant period.

Humidity and temperature

Hippeastrum tolerates typical household humidity of around 40 to 60% without difficulty and does not require misting or a humidity tray. During active growth, temperatures of 18 to 23°C are ideal, while cooler conditions of 13 to 16°C will slow growth and extend the blooming period. To initiate dormancy, the bulb benefits from a period at around 10 to 13°C for six to eight weeks; avoid frost at all times.

Repotting

Repot every two to three years in autumn, choosing a pot only slightly larger than the bulb, typically leaving about 2 to 3 cm between the bulb and the pot wall. A snug fit encourages flowering. Use fresh loam-based compost and ensure the top third of the bulb sits above the soil surface. After repotting, place in a cool, dry position and withhold water until new growth is visible.

Pruning

Once the flowers fade, cut the spent flower stem down to within a few centimetres of the bulb nose, taking care not to damage any emerging foliage. Do not remove the leaves, as they are essential for photosynthesis and replenishing the bulb for the next flowering cycle. Allow the leaves to die back completely and naturally before trimming them away at the end of the growing season.

Is Amaryllis toxic?

Common problems

How to propagate

Offset division

Small daughter bulblets form at the base of the parent bulb and can be gently separated when repotting, ensuring each offset has some roots attached. Pot them individually in small containers with loam-based compost and grow on for two to four years until they reach flowering size.

Twin scaling

A dormant bulb is cut vertically into sections, each containing a portion of the basal plate, and each section is further divided into pairs of scales still connected at the base. The twin-scale cuttings are dusted with fungicide and placed in a barely moist perlite and vermiculite mix at around 20°C; small bulblets typically form at the base of each cutting within eight to twelve weeks.

Seed

Fresh seed, produced by hand-pollinating flowers and harvested when the seed pod splits, can be sown on the surface of a well-draining seed compost at 21 to 24°C. Germination usually occurs within two to four weeks, but seedlings take three to five years to reach flowering size and will not breed true to the parent cultivar.

Where Amaryllis comes from

Native to tropical and subtropical South America, particularly Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina.

Story and origins

The genus name Hippeastrum is derived from the Greek words 'hippeus' meaning horseman or knight, and 'astron' meaning star, giving the approximate meaning of 'knight's star' or 'horseman's star'. The name was formally published by the English botanist William Herbert in his 1821 work on the Amaryllidaceae family. The common name 'Amaryllis' used in the horticultural trade is borrowed from the genus Amaryllis, which itself derives from the Greek word 'amaryssein', meaning to sparkle or shine, and was also used as a name for a shepherdess in the pastoral poetry of Theocritus and Virgil.

Hippeastrum species were first described by European botanists in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries following the Spanish colonisation of South America, with early specimens sent to botanical gardens in Spain and the Netherlands. Serious hybridisation began in the early nineteenth century, particularly through the work of Arthur Johnson, a watchmaker in Lancashire who produced one of the first recorded hybrids around 1799, later named Hippeastrum x johnsonii. The Dutch bulb industry began large-scale commercial production of hybrid cultivars in the twentieth century, and the plant became a popular winter-flowering gift bulb across Europe and North America. In parts of South America, wild Hippeastrum species are associated with the landscape of the cerrado and Atlantic forest regions and hold cultural significance as symbols of the natural heritage of countries such as Brazil.

Varieties to know

Hippeastrum 'Red Lion'

One of the most widely grown cultivars, producing vivid scarlet-red blooms of classic trumpet form on sturdy stems.

Hippeastrum 'Apple Blossom'

Bears large pale pink and white flowers with a soft, delicate appearance; a reliable and popular cultivar.

Hippeastrum 'Dancing Queen'

A double-flowered form with fully double white blooms flushed with pale pink, resembling a peony in appearance.

Hippeastrum 'Minerva'

Produces striking red flowers with bold white star-shaped markings radiating from the centre of each bloom.

Hippeastrum 'Papilio'

Known as the butterfly amaryllis, this species hybrid has unusual greenish-white petals with deep wine-red streaking; it is evergreen and does not require a dormant period.

Fun facts

• The genus Hippeastrum contains over 90 recognised species and more than 600 named hybrids, with the Netherlands being the world's leading producer of commercially sold bulbs.
• The name Hippeastrum was coined by William Herbert in 1821 specifically to separate the South American bulbs from the true South African Amaryllis belladonna, a distinction still frequently ignored in the horticultural trade.
• A single large Hippeastrum bulb can produce two or even three separate flower stems, each bearing up to six flowers, meaning a single bulb may display more than a dozen blooms in one season.
• Hippeastrum flowers are protandrous, meaning the anthers release pollen before the stigma of the same flower becomes receptive, which helps to prevent self-fertilisation and promote cross-pollination.
• In their native South American habitat, several Hippeastrum species are pollinated by hawk moths and large bees, and the red-flowered species are also visited by hummingbirds.

Amaryllis FAQ