Sacramento Digs Gardening logo
Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Amaryllis sparkles during holiday season


A bright amaryllis is a cheery addition to holiday decor. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)


Big bulb is easy to grow, easy to love



Amaryllis are the winter star of indoor bulbs. New hybrids boast blooms that are more than 8 inches across on strong 2-foot stems. With a succession of buds, these gigantic flowers last weeks in a sunny window.

And the large bulbs can rebloom for years to come outdoors, transplanted into the garden. They're hardy in USDA Zone 9, which includes Sacramento.

These bulbs, native to Mexico and Central America, have been winter favorites for generations, but their name can be confusing. What we popularly call amaryllis aren't actually Amaryllis, the genus that includes Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna, a South African native). About two centuries ago, botanists split these hollow-stem varieties off into a separate genus, Hippeastrum (which mean's horseman's star). About 90 species are part of this genus with hundreds of hybrids available on the market.

In the Victorian language of flowers, amaryllis symbolize strength and determination. They're also associated with beauty, love and hard-won success. In Greek, amaryllis means "to sparkle."
And yes, the name Amaryllis comes from Greek mythology.

A maiden named Amaryllis fell in love with a flower-crazy shepherd, Alteo. Amaryllis asked the Oracle of Delphi for help in winning his heart. On the oracle's advice, Amaryllis stood outside Alteo's house for 30 nights, each night piercing her heart with a golden arrow. On the 31st night, a red flower sprouted from her blood - and won her Alteos affection.

That legend inspired the meaning behind the flowers.

Amaryllis bulbs are easy to love; no arrows necessary. Choose a firm bulb and a snug pot, only an inch or two larger than the bulb. Use a fast-draining mix of perlite and peat moss; add 1 tablespoon bone meal. Plant the bulb shallow, so about half of it sits above the soil line. Place the bulb in a sunny window, water once, then wait.

As the flower shoot starts to appear, water once or twice a week, turning the pot a quarter turn every few days to encourage the stem to grow straight. Otherwise, it will grow towards the light.

In spring after the blooms are spent, the bulb will push out strappy green leaves. Transplant the bulb into a protected spot with partial or full shade, such as on the north or east side of the house. Once established, the bulb will rebloom, but in May or June -- not December.

Amaryllis bulbs are now available at local nurseries such as The Plant Foundry and Green Acres. Also, check out the selection at amaryllis specialist White Flower Farm (
www.whiteflowerfarm.com ), which offers more than 70 varieties.

The one downside: Amaryllis contains a toxin that is poisonous to cats. Keep away from curious felines. Fortunately, this plant tastes bad, so cats rarely ingest too much.

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Sept. 1: Yarrow an easy-care, sturdy flowering plant

Aug. 25: Crape myrtles, Sacramento's unofficial tree of summer

Aug. 18: Pollinators adore scabiosa, aka pincushion flower

Aug. 11: Hardy hibiscus adds big tropical impact

Aug. 4: Dianthus a deceptively hardy flower

July 28: Naked Ladies put on summer show

July 21: Thank Luther Burbank for these long-lasting beauties (Shasta daisies)

July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy

July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies

June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden

June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners

June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude

May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?

May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs

May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

Local News

Ad for California Local

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Garden checklist for week of Aug. 30

Enjoy this mild late-summer weather – and get to work!

* September starts another season in the vegetable garden. Now is the time to plant for fall. The warm soil will get these veggies off to a fast start.

* Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant.

* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing.

* Cultivate and add compost to the soil to replenish its nutrients for fall and winter vegetables and flowers.

* Fertilize deciduous fruit trees.

* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds.

* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.

* Sow seeds of California poppies, clarkia and African daisies. Transplant cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas, fairy primroses, calendulas, stocks and snapdragons.

* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials.

* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.

* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with “eyes” about an inch below the soil surface.

Contact Us

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event.  sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Add asparagus to your edible garden

Soggy soil and what to do about it

Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Change is in the autumn air 

We don't talk (enough) about beets

Fava beans do double duty

Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Time to shut it down? 

How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

: Put worms to work for you

Grow food while saving water

Enhance your food with edible flowers

Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

Does this plant need water?

 Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

How to grow summer salad greens

 Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

Help pollinators help your garden

Battling early-season tomato pests

Make your own compost

Where are the bees when you need them?

How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

Grow culinary herbs in containers

When to plant summer vegetables

Don't be fooled by these garden myths

Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth