Last updated 15:41, Wednesday, 12 November 2008

IN a recent article I briefly touched on Hippeastrums and how it’s time to plant for Christmas flowering, well I’ve been quite inundated for more information on this wonderful flowering house plant.

colourful: Hippeastrums

Hippeastrums are popularly known as Amaryllis and is a genus of around 75 species in the family Amaryllidaceae and is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico. Hippeastrum is from the Greek word Hippeus meaning “a mounted man” and astron “star” the flowers resembling a medieval weapon used by horsemen.

Hippeastrums are now available from many outlets, including supermarkets, and generally come in a pack containing the bulb, a small bag of compost and a pot. I have also seen bulbs with glass vases instead of pots, the vase is filled with water and the bulb placed on top (a similar method for growing hyacinths).

Of all flowering bulbs, Hippeastrums are the easiest to bring to bloom. This can be accomplished over an extended period of time. Hippeastrums come in many beautiful varieties including various shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. There are also many striped and multicoloured varieties, usually combining shades of pink or red with white including many double flowering forms.

Plant the bulb in suitable potting compost up to the bulbs neck, being careful not to damage the roots. Press the compost down firmly to set the bulb securely in place as the weight of the flower head may topple the bulb from the pot. Place the potted bulb in a warm place with direct light since heat is necessary for the development of the stems. The ideal temperature is 15 to 20 degrees C. However, do water sparingly until the stem appears, then, as the bud and leaves appear, gradually water more. At this point, the stem will grow rapidly and flowers will develop after it has reached full growth, bulbs will flower around six weeks from planting, so now is the time if you want blooms for Christmas. Blooms will normally last for around three weeks. To achieve continuous flowers try planting bulbs at intervals of two weeks, this way you can have Hippeastrums flowering from December to June.

After the Hippeastrum has stopped flowering, cut the faded flowers from the stem, and when the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb. Continue to water and fertilise as normal all summer, or for at least five to six months, allowing the leaves to fully develop and grow. You can plant the Hippeastrum plant/bulb in your garden border after the danger of frosts has passed.

When the leaves begin to yellow, which normally occurs in the early autumn, cut the leaves back to about two inches from the top of the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil. Clean the bulb and place it in a cool dark place for a minimum of six weeks. After six weeks you can replant the bulbs whenever you would like, allowing around six weeks before you would like them to bloom. Using this method, a Hippeastrum bulb will continue to flower for you for many years to come.