How to grow Amaryllis

What are amaryllis?

Hardy, deciduous

Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

, bulbous perennials originating from South Africa and not to be confused with the indoor Hippeastrum bulbs

These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

grown around Christmas time commonly known as amaryllis.

Amarines are a hybrid

A plant produced by crossing two distinct parents, often different species, to produce offspring that combine the characteristics of both. Hybrids can occur naturally, but crosses are often made deliberately by plant breeders to produce plants with better yield, improved flowering or vigour, or improved disease resistance.

group of bulbous perennials created from Amaryllis belladonna and Nerine bowdenii. Their flowers are more trumpet-shaped than nerines but much smaller than amaryllis.

Choosing amaryllis

There is only one species of amaryllis, with a handful of cultivars. Plants reach 50-100cm tall, with flowers in various shades of pink, pale purple or white.

A. belladonna  itself is the most widely available and it holds an RHS Recommended: Award of Garden Merit. It has pink flowers in autumn on stems reaching 50-90cm in height.

Buying amaryllis

Available in garden centres as dry bulbs from late summer and as potted flowering plants in autumn. Bulbs are also available by mail order from bulb specialists in early spring and in autumn.

Best to buy as soon as they become available because bulbs can become desiccated if stored out of the soil for long periods. When buying bulbs, check they feel firm when gently squeezed and discard any that feel soft.

After purchase, store bulbs in a cool dry place and plant as soon as possible. If you cannot plant out immediately, pot into individual containers of free-draining, peat-free compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

with the neck of the bulb just exposed. Place outside in a sheltered, sunny spot and check they don’t get too dry.

Use our Find a Plant to help search for plants and suppliers.

How to choose healthy plants

More in-depth information

If you are interested in specialist growing, the Nerine and Amaryllid Society offer tips on growing and morphology.

When to plant

Plant dormant bulbs

These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

in the early spring or late summer as soon as possible after they arrive. Plants bought growing in pots can be planted to the same level as they are in the pot in autumn, from August to October.

Where to plant

They perform best when baked in full sun and with shelter from harsh frosts, against a warm wall, in a raised bed or in a border where they can be left undisturbed. They grow well in moderately fertile, light (sandy), free-draining soil. Grow in containers if your soil is unsuitable.

How to plant

In borders

To plant dormant bulbs in the garden:

• If your soil is not already free draining, begin by improving the drainage of the planting area. Dig in bulky, well-rotted organic matter such as homemade garden compost
  

  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

• Space bulbs 20-30cm apart
• Plant the bulbs into the soil so that the neck of the bulb is just exposed above the soil surface
• Water to moisten the soil after planting and encourage root growth

In containers

Bulbs can be grown in containers positioned in a sunny, sheltered spot. These bulbs can have very long stems so choose a heavy and/or wide container to prevent toppling.

Use an open, free-draining growing medium made from equal parts of peat-free John Innes No 3, peat-free multipurpose and gritty sand. When planting several bulbs together, choose a container size large enough so the bulbs will be close but not touching, with good drainage holes in the base. Plant the bulbs in the compost with the neck of the bulbs just exposed and water in.

Peat-free compost choices

Bulbs

These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

in pots will need repotting when dormant in late spring or early summer every two to three years. They often don’t need a bigger pot, just a fresh compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

mix to support good growth and flowering.

Watering

Even though these bulbs are drought tolerant, they will need watering when in active growth (late summer to winter) when the weather is very dry, especially when grown near a wall that prevents rain from reaching the soil.

Water containers regularly when in active growth, allowing the soil surface to dry out between waterings. Once the foliage starts to die off in early spring watering can be reduced.

How to water containers

Feeding

Feeding the bulbs can help them reach a good size and improve flowering. An application of homemade compost to borders is sufficient to keep plants healthy.

Containers may require a feed, start using a high-potassium liquid feed, such as tomato fertiliser, diluted to half strength (i.e. half what it says on the label for bulbs or containers) to stimulate flower production in the run-up to flowering in late summer. Continue feeding until the foliage begins to turn yellow and die back in early spring.

How to feed plants

Mulches and mulching

Deadheading

Unless you wish to collect seed, cut off spent flowers at the base of the flower stalk. This will prevent the plant wasting energy on making seeds and instead it will put its energy back into the bulb for next year's display.

Overwintering

In harsh winters they will require protection by applying a dry mulch

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

around the plants or even covering with biodegradable

Anything that can be decomposed by fungi, bacteria and micro-organisms, so it doesn’t persist indefinitely in the environment. Biodegradable plastics are usually made from plants, such as bamboo, rather than fossil fuels. Ideally, products that claim to be biodegradable should break down quickly and leave nothing harmful behind. However, they may need specific conditions in order to biodegrade successfully or may produce greenhouse gases such as methane in the process.

fleece

A soft, fibrous, translucent material laid over or around plants hastening their growth and protecting them against weather and pests. Heavier grades of fleece give about 2°C of protection from frost. It is usually used without supporting hoops.

if not grown in a very sheltered spot.

Container-grown plants can be moved to a more sheltered position or into a cool, frost-free greenhouse in severe winters.

Container maintenance

No special pruning requirements. Cut off the spent flower spike close to the base, unless you wish to collect seed, and pull away leaves after they have died back.

You can increase the number of Amaryllis you grow by dividing offsets or by sowing seed. Learn more about these techniques in our propagating bulbs page.

Division

This is the easiest way to propagate Amaryllis as they naturally produce offsets (baby bulbs

These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

next to the parent bulb); these will be genetically

Genes are small sections of DNA that code for particular traits. During sexual reproduction, genes of both parents are mixed to create a genetically different offspring. Plants grown from seed may not be 'true to type' and look like their parents, but genetic variation can be beneficial, creating new, interesting characteristics and sometimes improving resilience to environmental conditions or disease. On the other hand, plants grown from cuttings are genetically identical to their parents.

identical to the parent. Offsets can be separated from the parent bulb by lifting and dividing congested clumps when dormant.

To avoid too much disturbance, you can scrape away the soil around the parent bulb to expose the offsets and pull these away from the main bulbs with as many roots attached as possible.

These offsets can be potted up into gritty, peat-free compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

and will reach flowering maturity sooner than seed-grown plants (2-3 years).

By seed

This can be a fun way to propagate Amaryllis, but it can take quite a few years (typically 3-5 years) for the plants to reach flowering maturity, and seed collected from varieties may produce plants that differ from the parents. Sow seed in late autumn when ripe or in spring.

Year 1: Seed sowing and germination

Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

1. Fill shallow seed trays with gritty, peat-free seed compost
   

   Seed compost is a free-draining compost formulated for germinating seed. It often contains a mix of fine materials including sterilised loam, coir, coarse sand or grit. It contains low levels of nutrients, as high levels could damage seedlings.

   and water to moisten
2. Sow seed and cover with a light dusting of compost
3. Label seedlings
   

   A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

   if you're growing multiple varieties (they may differ from the parents)
4. Place outdoors in a cold frame
   

   Cold frames are glaze box-like structures made from brick or wood with a  hinged or removable, glazed, sloping lid. Useful to protect plants from cold weather over winter or acclimatise (harden off) young plants in spring and provide extra warmth for tender crops in summer.

   ; germination can take 4-6 weeks
5. Once shoots appear, move to a sunny, sheltered spot in the garden to grow on

Year 2: Bulb growth

• Encourage good growth by keeping the compost just moist
• Repot annually into slightly larger pots with free-draining compost
• Feed during spring and summer (high potash for bulb development)

Years 3-5: Maturity and flowering

• Continue annual repotting and feeding
• Allow a short rest period each year (8–10 weeks cool and dry) once bulbs have reached the point where they have at least three or four strong leaves
• Flowering usually begins when bulbs reach 5–8 cm diameter

Key Tips

Patience is essential – seed-grown Amaryllis rarely bloom before year 3. 

Avoid overwatering – rot risk is high in young bulbs.

These plants are generally disease free given the correct growing conditions but may be susceptible to: 

• Narcissus bulb fly
• Slugs and snails
• Aphids
• Mealy bug and Glasshouse red spider mite may be troublesome on plants grown in containers under cover.

If you are a member of the RHS, you can use our online Gardening Advice Service, via MyRHS, for any gardening problems or queries.