Amaryllis ‘Dancing Queen’ has eye-catching ruffled double flowers
Image: Amaryllis ‘Dancing Queen’ from T&M

If you want to fill your winter home with bright tropical flowers, look no further than amaryllis. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best independent content to help you choose your amaryllis bulbs, plant up a gorgeous display and troubleshoot any problems. 

Inspired to grow your own? Take a look at our amaryllis bulbs and tubers to find flamboyant red, yellow and white blooms. Our pre-potted, twinkling amaryllis with lights also makes an extra-special gift.

Ray – Gardening for Beginners

Ray displays his amaryllis in a simple white pot to let the flower take centre stage
Image: Gardening for Beginners

“The first job we need to do is just to soak this bulb in some tepid water for a few hours,” says YouTuber Ray at his channel Gardening for Beginners. Growing amaryllis is a rewarding yearly tradition for Ray, who uses a plain white pot to let his amaryllis ‘Minerva’ do all the talking. If you’re looking for simple step-by-step instructions, his video is an excellent place to start.

Thompson and Morgan

Amaryllis ‘Picotee’ shows delicate red edging around the petals
Image: Amaryllis ‘Picotee’ from T&M

“Plant amaryllis bulbs six to eight weeks before you’d like them to bloom,” say the experts at Thompson and Morgan. Use a quality multipurpose compost and make sure each bulb is planted with a third of it exposed above the soil line. Read the full article on how to grow amaryllis bulbs for more expert tips.

Joe Bagley – UK House Plants

Healthy amaryllis send out plenty of roots
Image: Shutterstock

“The plant must feel restricted in order to send out a flower stalk,” explains Joe Bagley at his info-packed website UK House Plants. Choose a small pot for your amaryllis bulb, refreshing the compost every few years. With bulbs that are 20 years old and still flowering, this gardening expert has plenty of helpful planting advice and troubleshooting knowledge to share.

Marie Shallcross – Plews Garden Design

Amaryllis are tender flowering bulbs
Image: Marie Shallcross

The amaryllis we know and grow is botanically known as hippeastrum, explains Marie Shallcross at Plews Garden Design. There are 90 species and over 600 cultivars in the genus hippeastrum, so lots of lovely flowers for us gardeners to choose from. Learn more about spectacular tropical hippeastrums and the single true Amaryllis species, Amaryllis belladonna, in Marie’s fascinating article ‘Hippeastrum or Amaryllis?’

Simon – Garden of Eaden

Amaryllis ‘Minerva’ is a popular red-flowered variety
Image: Visions BV, Netherlands

Over at Garden of Eaden, Simon has two rules for watering an amaryllis: don’t overwater and never leave your potted bulb standing in water. “Amaryllis bulbs are prone to rot if they are kept too wet,” he explains. Read his full article to learn the correct way to water your plant and keep it looking its best.

MandyCanUDigIt

Red blotches on your amaryllis leaves could signal disease
Image: MandyCanUDigIt

Have you noticed red blotches on the leaves of your amaryllis? It could be a fungal disease, says Mandy at MandyCanUDigIt. “Try replanting into clean soil and apply a systemic copper-based fungicide, until the bulbs go dormant,” she says. Mandy fully explores how to deal with red blotch disease in her article so check it out.

Simon – Gardening at 58 North

Amaryllis leaves start to flop in autumn when they enter their dormant period
Image: Gardening at 58 North

Amaryllis bulbs need a dormant period between autumn and winter, says Simon at his YouTube channel Gardening at 58 North. The leaves yellow and die back, having filled the bulb with energy for late winter flowering. Move them into a cooler room as they become dormant and stop watering altogether, he says. Watch Simon’s video for full instructions.

@fiddle_leaf_fag

Pair your amaryllis with other early-flowering bulbs like forced paperwhites
Image: @fiddle_leaf_fag

Looking for inspiration? Check out @fiddle_leaf_fag’s post about his amaryllis ‘Minerva’ flowering superbly in January. “I like to have them at this time of year as it’s so dull and grim,” he says. Or, why not have a go at a mixed bulb display – he’s paired his amaryllis with paperwhite narcissi to make a beautiful scented centrepiece. Give his page a follow for more dreamy flower-filled content.

Fiona – @up.the.garden.path

Amaryllis ‘Lemon Star’ is a creamy yellow colour
Image: @up.the.garden.path

Depending on when you plant your bulb, you can time your flowers to bloom for special occasions like Valentine’s day, says Fiona from @up.the.garden.path. She particularly loves the subtle beauty of ‘Lemon Star’. “It’s such a delicate pastel colour compared to the bold red of Dancing Queen,” she enthuses.

Alison Levey – The Blackberry Garden

Amaryllis are very photogenic flowers with stunning details
Image: The Blackberry Garden 

“This is a plant that refuses to give up, it flowers every year no matter what I do (or don’t do) for it,” says Alison Levey at The Blackberry Garden. Alison’s magnificent amaryllis gets full attention in her article ‘The amaryllis in the spotlight’, where her lovely photography does the unusual spiky flower full justice.

Head over to our spring flowering bulb hub page for more excellent bulb growing tricks. Have you got a spectacular flowering amaryllis to share? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #YourTMGarden.

Thompson & Morgan

Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.