Force Amaryllis Bulbs for Christmas

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Now is the time to force amaryllis bulbs for Christmas!

Don’t shoot the messenger!I realize that I have just shared my excitement for the arrival of Fall. Trust me, I’m not rushing my favorite season. I know how much y’all love the holidays. Therefore, I want you to be as prepared for your seasonal decor as possible. One way to accomplish this is to force amaryllis bulbs for Christmas.

Start Now

The need to start now is simply because it takes an amaryllis bulb 6 to 8 weeks to grow and bloom. You don’t need to be a master gardner nor have a green thumb. Forcing bulbs to grow indoors is very easy. I pinky-swear promise.

In the past I have shared how to Easily Grow Paperwhites – Getting Holiday Ready, and Growing Paperwhites in Unique Containers.

Forcing amaryllis bulbs are just as easy as paperwhites. You can find loose bulbs at your local garden center or online shops. Even easier, you can use a kit like I did.

 

Thankfully, I have fabulous neighbors. Our Friends Keri and Dawn gifted us this amaryllis kit for Christmas last year. Everything I needed for growing success was included inside the box – even the planting container! My bulb was listed as Red Lion.

What you need:

• Amaryllis bulb. This is a link to 3 Red Lion amaryllis bulbs. If you want a kit, I love THIS red one or THIS variegated varietal. 
• Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
• 8″ diameter growing container
• Pot, for soaking

How You do it:

1. Soak the amaryllis bulbs for a few hours to help rehydrate the roots and speed up the growth process.
2. Fill a pot with compost and sit the bulb on top. Don’t use a pot that’s too big: amaryllis like being pot bound.
3. Top up with compost and water in. Leave in a warm, dark place for a couple of weeks and don’t water further.
4. When a shoot emerges, bring to a warm, light spot and water regularly. Expect flowers in six to eight weeks.

This is the amaryllis growth at approximately 4 weeks.

The red blooms started to pop at about 6 weeks.

Shortly thereafter a full amaryllis flower emerged.

Other blooms started to appear as well.

Before I knew it, I had three full flowers.

I moved the amaryllis from the sunroom to the dining room.

Red amaryllis looked beautiful on the painted sideboard with a backdrop of blue and white chinoiserie as well as the gold.

My amaryllis lasted well into the end of January.

During the winter months I love having live plants and color in the house.

I hope that you have been inspired to force amaryllis bulbs for your own home. Start now to ensure blooms by Christmas!