Amaryllis in April

A bold shot of color inside against the remnants of dirty snow outside. Easy-to-care-for amaryllis: Cut off the flower stalk after blooming. Fertilize regularly and summer outside in semi-shade. Bring inside before first frost. Reduce watering and cut back before placing in cool, dark closet for a couple of months. Bring back into the light, water and wait for the show.

It's all about timing

Who says amaryllis are just for Christmas?

This one came out of the winter closet a couple of weeks ago. Its needs for dormancy met (at least eight to 10 weeks), it began sprouting new leaves and now has two fat flower buds. (Photo shows one bud, but there is another one.) 

I'd say the five-buck investment was worth it -- this is the second round of blooms.

The National Arboretum has information on growing your own.

Friday flower power

Here's another good reason to check the after-Christmas sales. I found this Red Lion amaryllis at Target for 5 bucks. And it came with a nice crock to use for holding cooking utensils or whatever. There's nothing like a jolt of red to lift your spirits this time of year.

What's ahead at sillydoggarden? Lots of pot washing in anticipation of lots of sowing! Meanwhile, here's something that's completely off-topic, but relevant. Whether on paper or on the Web, support your local journalists!

Timing is everything

January sunshine streams through the petals of this amaryllis and paints petal edges with a touch of yellow.

Long before Thanksgiving we were cruising the aisles at Menards when we spotted a display of amaryllis bulbs. Your choice, red or white, each 5 bucks. Well alrighty then, let's take a red one -- for $5 the promise of bodacious blooms for Christmas is a lot cheaper than Prozac. I had the bulb potted up within a week, taking care to use my own plastic pot. (The pot that came with the bulb had no drainage. I don't get it -- drainage is everything.) Anyway, according to my estimates, I was about eight weeks from bloom and right on schedule for the holidays. But .... no. The buds only began showing color about a week ago.

Well, different varieties of amaryllis take varying lengths of time to flower. And, well, big-box home improvement stores probably aren't the best source of these bulbs. They're good for a cheap hit of color or texture or fragrance, but you have to be comfortable with the quality of handling and information you're getting. 

No matter, the amaryllis has bloomed and actually, I'm probably enjoying it more now without the competition from the tree and other holiday decorations.

If you want to know more about timing amaryllis read this .

Smooth, shapely buds are pretty in a quieter way.