The days are getting longer, gardeners! It doesn’t show up yet in the mornings, but there is a definite change in the evenings! Just think, in about 130 sleeps or less we’ll be planting our gardens! And no doubt working in our yards long before then!
Some very dear, thoughtful friends gave us an amaryllis for Christmas. Along with poinsettia and holly, amaryllis has also come to be associated as a “Christmas” flower, perhaps because it grows so readily into a dazzling flowering plant, which is just what we need in the middle of winter!
The beautiful amaryllis came to us from South America, with the two dollar botanical name of hippeastrum. Not only are the flowers beautiful, with blooms that range from deep red to pink to white and even striated pink and white or red and white, but you can enjoy your amaryllis for many years. If there was a list of bulbs that bloom easily, amaryllis would be at the top of the list!
So what do we do with our amaryllis bulb? Amaryllis like a soft, loose soil mix that usually comes with your amaryllis bulb: it’s literally a “flower kit” and truly, all you have to do is add water! If you have had your bulb for a number of years, you might be using a regular soil mix, but just make sure that it drains easily. When you are planting the bulb, plant it up to the “neck” in the soil mix, water it gently just to settle the soil around the bulb, and place it in a warm spot that gets lots of light. After this, do not water it much until the stem appears. When this happens, and the leaves and the bud start to make a grand entrance, begin to give it more water and keep it in that bright spot!
The fun of an amaryllis is that is grows so quickly; your bulb will flower after about eight weeks, rewarding you and your efforts with large, showy trumpets of glorious bloom!
I read somewhere that if you were very organized, you could plants bulbs spaced two or three weeks apart and have continuous trumpet blasts of color in your home. Wouldn’t that be delightful? It would seem like spring all the time.
When the blooms finally fade, cut them off, but continue to water the leaves and remaining stem. When the stem starts to look droopy, cut it back to the top of the bulb. From here on, care for the plant with water and fertilizer: the leaves will provide future strength for the bulb. As with all things in the nature, the day will come when the leaves start to turn yellow and at this time, you should cut them back near the bulb. Dig your bulb out of the soil, dust it off, and put it in a cool dark spot for at least six weeks. (Here’s an interesting factoid: I read that if you put the bulb in the crisper of your fridge, make sure there are no apples in the fridge because this will sterilize your bulb! Isn’t that something?) After that, take your bulb and begin the whole fun process again!
January gives us a chance to rest and rejuvenate, but get set for gardening action! The first 2015 meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunshine Room at SIGN on North Street. Please note the new meeting day, Wednesday February 18. And the Prairie Sun Seed Festival is also coming up on Saturday, March 14; it’s a great, informative day that you’ll want to attend.
Lots of nice things for us to look forward to! As we both know, a lot of planning and work goes into making these interesting events happen in our community, so please support them with your enthusiasm and attendance! Have a great week!
