beautiful amaryllis

I just can't get enough of my gorgeous amaryllis blooms!  The vivid colour jumps out at me even when I glance in their direction from another room!  What a great way to perk up the February gardening blahs.
Unfortunately, I planted them in early November, which was too late to get Christmas blooms (which is what I initially intended), but I guess I have Valentine's blooms instead.  Next year I'll plant the bulbs earlier, but it's still a gamble getting blooms for Christmas.  I'll probably plant them anyway, but splurge on a few from the florist in December as well. 
I couldn't decide on just one picture so here are my faves.  Enjoy!

Comments

[The Ms. S.]

Absolutely gorgeous!

Don't worry about them not blooming for Christams, I think they make a perfect Valentine's flower!

[breannep]

beautiful - my amaryllis didn't flower - I got a lot of healthy green leaves - but no flower shoots... is there anything I did wrong to not get a flower. Basically I put the bulb in dirt and watered it.

[Janice]

Thanks!
Don't worry Breanne, it is probably not your fault. The nice thing about bulbs is they are usually "fool proof" - they store their energy for blooms the previous growing season, so usually all you have to do is plunk them in soil and keep them watered - no fertilizer or special treatment required. Sometimes the flowers appear before leaves and sometimes vice versa, but if you've had leaves for a while and no sign of a flower stalk, then you probably just got a dud.
I've read about saving the bulbs for next year, but it's generally too much work for my low-maintenance (read: lazy) style. After flowering, you're supposed to fertilize them with 10-30-20 or 20-30-20 from March to October. The pot should go outside over the summer for maximum light exposure. Then, it should be brought back inside in October and kept dry and cool, basically dormant for 2-3 months. Then you can bring it out and start all over again. You wouldn't get blooms for Christmas this way, likely February. So, you could always keep your bulb and try again next year. Or compost it and buy a new bulb next year instead (like me!).
Cheers,
Janice