Picking Amaryllis Bulbs

An amaryllis bud produces the lovely dramatic flowers. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

“Charlotte I’ve had the worst luck picking Amaryllis bulbs that bloom. What’s the secret?” — Valerie

Picking Amaryllis Bulbs

Hi Valerie, the secret is picking bulbs large enough that they have enough energy stored to grow a bud for blooms.

Whenever I buy Amaryllis bulbs, I look for bulbs I can see. You don’t need included containers, you can pot your own at home in a container an inch wider than the bulb with potting soil. Amaryllis are relatively easy to care for if you know what growing conditions they need.

I also open those Amaryllis bulb gift boxes to make sure the bulb is showing a particular kind of growth.

You want to see the tip of a bud showing at the top of the bulb. In this bulb, the tip is on the left and leaves are starting to grow on the right. The key is to see the flower bud. You don’t need to have leaves at the blooming stage; those will appear after the bud grows.

Don’t worry about the white color of the tip. They will quickly turn green once exposed to light.

This Amaryllis bulb is 2 inches wide so it will bloom once.

This Amaryllis bulb will not bloom because leaves have popped up first. The leaves will collect sun for the next blooming cycle. The bulb will grow bigger from the energy stored and has a good chance of blooming then.

Once the first bud blooms, leaves will appear as solar collectors. If the bulb is big enough, a second bud may appear. The bulb has to be at least 3 inches wide to have enough energy stored for a second consecutive blooming.

So look for the buds and you should be getting an Amaryllis bulb that will bloom.

Charlotte

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