Get Ready for my Amaryllis Contest

I will launch my annual ‘amaryllis photo contest’ in the February edition of Gardening with Mark, my FREE newsletter. Make sure you are ready! Start an amaryllis bulb today! AND sign up for my newsletter to make sure it arrives in your Inbox.

The giant, chunky bulb that you can buy at garden centres, and the fancy packaged bulbs that you buy most anywhere have one thing in common: both feature a bulb that will produce enormous, trumpet-shaped flowers. The main difference, in most cases, is that the bare-naked bulb is generally much bigger. The rule of thumb is that the bigger the bulb, the more impressive the performance. A 22- to 24-centimetre bulb (measuring the circumference) produces a nice show. A 28- or 30-centimetre bulb will blow your mind. The size of the bulb is listed on the side of the package or the hang tag around the bulb itself. The Mark’s Choice amaryllis kit, exclusive to Home Hardware, is guaranteed to have a premium-sized bulb.

Pot up the bulb in quality potting soil. You will notice that the bulb has roots at one end and a “neck” at the other. In putting the bulb into the soil, be sure not to damage the roots and do not bury the neck. I leave the top half of the bulb exposed while burying the bottom half in the potting soil.

Place the pot in direct light in a room with average temperatures of about 20°C. Water sparingly but be sure to keep an eye on your bulb. Once the stem begins to grow, you will need to water more frequently. Don’t let the soil become soggy. As the stem grows, turn the whole plant once every few days to encourage 3-4 evenly -sized flowers to bloom. It will take anywhere from seven to ten weeks for flowers to form.