The Hippeastrum is the flower which is commonly known as the Amaryllis. This tropical flower is originally from South America and its first appearance in the Netherlands was in the 19th century. The flowers are often associated with the winter months, especially the red Amaryllis flowers are beautiful around the Christmas period.  

However, the Amaryllis does not bloom only in autumn. The bulbs are still available until late spring and by ‘preserving’ an Amaryllis bulb you can enjoy it even longer! If you preserve an Amaryllis bulb, it means that you treat and keep the bulb to let the flower bloom for several years in a row.

By ‘preserving’ an Amaryllis bulb you can enjoy it even longer!

We often get the question at QFB Gardening how to do that, preserving an Amaryllis. We are happy to help you on your way with the help of the steps and tips below!

An Amaryllis flower blooms for about a month. At the end of the flowering period, the flower slowly begins to lose its beautiful appearance. Now is the time to get started with your Amaryllis bulb. Cut the stem of the flower stem about 3 to 5 centimeters above the bulb, but do not remove the leaves. They are essential for the energy supply of the bulb. Depending on the weather outside, leave the bulb in the pot or plant it outdoors in open ground. You leave the bulb in the ground for 6 months and you keep the soil slightly moist.

After 6 months, let the bulb and the earth dry by no longer watering for 3 weeks. Then remove the bulb from the soil and let it dry well at room temperature for 2 weeks. The leaves will now also dry out and cut them off. You can also remove the outer skirts of the ball.

A wild Amaryllis stays green all year round, but only gives flowers in the summer period. To mimic a winter period for the bulb, keep it dry and cool for 8 weeks, for example in the shed, garage or pantry.

After this, replant the bulb in a pot with soil and water moderately until green leaves appear. Now you can water a little more and add additional fertiliser to the water once every 2 weeks. After about 8 weeks the Amaryllis will flower again. Does the bulb have small extra balls? Remove these bulbs and plant them separately in a pot, because these bulbs cost the big bulb too much energy.

Tip: Do you know before planting the Amaryllis that you want to keep it? Then you can shorten the roots. This makes it more likely that the preserving process will succeed. Note: if you shorten the roots, the flower stems will become shorter. 

Want to know more about planting and caring for Amaryllises? Please contact our customer service! View our range of Amaryllis bulbs and our Wax Amaryllis!